


The Interesting Day

by tinkchet



Category: Emergency!
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 10:23:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinkchet/pseuds/tinkchet





	The Interesting Day

THE INTERESTING DAY  
12/24/73

 

As the members of A shift arrived in Station 51, the departing members of C shift could tell none was happy. They knew how they felt-being stuck working Christmas Eve and Day was horrible, but they had all done it. That was just the way things were in the firefighting business.  
Arriving just on time, Roy said, "I'm sorry, Cap, but the kids didn't want me to leave. You know how it is.”  
"Yeah, I know, Roy. Hurry and get dressed. Roll call in five minutes."  
Nodding affirmatively, Roy got dressed and John kept him company.  
"I'm sorry about you, Cap and Mike missing Christmas, especially Mike. This is his first with the baby. But we'll have some Christmas cheer here and remember WE ARE OFF NEW YEAR'S EVE AND DAY!"  
"Yeah, I know, Junior, but that is a day for adults while Christmas is for kids, if you know what I mean."  
As they walked to the bay for roll call, John thought about what Roy had said and he had to agree. ~~"Oh, well, ~~ he thought to himself, ~~I hope my present makes up for you missing the kids for Christmas, Roy.” ~~ And he smiled thinking of the scrapbook he'd made for Roy and Joanne.  
Roll was called and then assignments, "DeSoto, you have the locker and dorm. Lopez, you are cooking today. Stoker, bay and dishes. Kelly, you and Gage hang that hose C shift didn't get to. Kelly, then you have the engine and squad to clean. Gage, latrines!"  
Both Kelly and Gage groaned at this, and Cap said, "What is it? Kelly? For once you are not doing the latrine. This time it was Gage whose prank backfired and on me, as usual, so what is the problem, boys?"  
Gage just looked at the floor and muttered, "Nothing, sir. Sorry about that."  
"Yeah, well, you can think about it more hanging hose and doing the latrine, buddy. You know, I am really getting tired of ending up the brunt of your pranks. Next time, try to make sure you hit the target and DON'T let me hear about it!"  
Everyone laughed at this and started about their duties.  
Suddenly the klaxons sounded, "Station 51, smoke situation at Wells Fargo Bank, corner of Artesia Blvd and Sepulveda, time out 09:42."  
Hank responded, while the crews prepped. "Station 51 responding smoke situation at Wells Fargo Bank Artesia and Sepulveda, KMG 365," and he ran to his spot on the engine.  
Arriving, they saw a SWAT truck and at least ten squad cars there.   
Realizing there must be a hostage situation, Hank radioed HQ, saying, "HQ, be advised we are at the bank, but there appears to be some type of police activity going on. Any ideas?"  
Sam Lanier replied, calmly, "Yes, 51, we have been apprised of the situation. You are to report to Detective Crockett who will give you further instructions."  
"10-4." Hank said and told Chet, Mike and Marco to stay put and told Roy and John to wait, too.  
Walking over to Crockett, whom he knew from past experiences, he said, "Hi, Detective Crockett. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Captain Stanley. We got the call and need to know about the smoke situation."  
"Hi, Hank. Yes, I remember you and all of 51 A shift. I hate to say this, but there is no smoke situation, just a crazy escaped prisoner who is nuttier than any man I've ever dealt with. She went in, knocked out the security guard and then took his gun, demanded money and then randomly shot people. She then had the bank president call us, demanding the SWAT team or she would kill more people, especially the two pregnant women in the bank, making sure to hit them in their abdomens. I'm telling you she is nuts. She then called in the smoke situation and then told us to expect a fire engine and squad.  
"She claims she wants the squad team and one or two firemen to go in to care for the injured. But here is the stickler. She intends to allow one paramedic to leave with the wounded and the other two or three will be her hostages. If we agree, she claims she will allow all the hostages to leave. But, honestly, I don't believe her. So what do you think?"  
Hank was shocked by this. He wasn't really sure what to say. He knew DeSoto and Gage had to go in, but how could he choose whom else? ~~"God, please give me the strength to make this decision."~~  
Hank walked slowly over to his men and just stared at them for a bit, unwilling to pass on this news to them. He dreaded sending any of them in.  
Finally he said, "Ok, men, here is the situation. There is no fire or smoke. This is a hostage situation and there are already injured people in there. There is one person who is a female escaped prisoner who is crazy. She is demanding stuff and shooting randomly. She claims there is at least one dead person already in there."  
As he talked, he saw Roy and John prepare their equipment and get ready to go in. "Wait, guys. There's more. She is claiming that we send you in with one or two firemen who will be the hostages instead. She says she will let you care for the injured and let the others go. She will let one paramedic go with the injured while the others stay as hostages.  
"I know you and John have to go in, but I hate to send you. Also, I honestly cannot order any of you others to go in, so I guess what I am saying is I need volunteers. I want two to go in with Gage and DeSoto."  
Looking up, he saw three hands go up.  
Chet looked over at Mike and said, "Mike, you can't go in. Not on Christmas Eve. Bad enough Roy has to, but you just had a kid. Let me go in, Cap. No need to send more than three. She did say one or two. Ok?"  
John said, "Yeah, Kelly is right, cap. We don't want to risk more than three. What do you say?"  
Looking at the three of them, he sighed, "I don't know. I hate sending anyone in, not knowing what can happen. You know, you could all be killed in there. Remember, Crockett said she is crazy. I'm really worried."  
No one said anything, and after a few minutes, Detective Crockett came over and said, "Well, Captain Stanley. What is the word?"  
Before he could answer, John said, "Well, Detective, Roy and I are going in and Chet Kelly, here, is gonna go with us, right, Chet?"  
"Right, John. Let's go and get it over with."  
And not waiting for an ok from the captain, the three men followed Detective Crockett to his car, where he contacted Emily Lanthrop.  
"Emily? Emily, please answer me."  
"Yeah, what do you want, pig?"  
"I have two paramedics plus a fireman out here waiting to enter the bank as you requested. Remember you said they could and you would send out the uninjured people in place of them. Is the deal still on?"  
"Yeah, it is.  
"Ok, I'm gonna start sending out the ok people as soon as those three start towards me."  
Within seconds, the three men began walking slowly towards the bank and they saw the door open and about six people left, most scared and crying. One man didn't want to leave, saying, "My daughter, I can't leave her, please!"  
Emily just pointed the gun at him and said, "Do you want to join her? You know that she is dead, dummy, now go!" And the aggrieved man left reluctantly.  
Roy and John just looked at one another, realizing they had to deal with at least one Code F and a kid to boot. ~~Damn~~ Roy thought, angrily.  
Entering the bank, all three men raised their hands in the air as directed.   
"Ok, boys, who are the medics?"  
Roy and John both nodded affirmatively.  
"Fine. Ok, hose jockey, YOU do as I say and you'll be ok."  
"Wait, let me help them."  
"NO, they can do it themselves, right, medics?"  
"Yeah, Chet, don't worry, we got it. You just do as the nice lady says, ok?" Johnny said, and pleaded with his eyes for Chet not to lose his temper or cool.  
"Yeah, Chet, do as the nice lady says." Emily repeated and laughed, sardonically, while prodding Chet with the gun in his back.   
Reaching one of the counters, she made Chet get under it on all fours. Looking down, she said, as she patted his helmet, "That's a good boy, Chet. Just stay there and be my good watchdog. That is your job, understand?"  
"Yeah," Chet said, with clenched teeth, trying to hold his seething temper at this affront.  
Emily just laughed, and said, "Good boy. I like you; Chester, and you have such a perfect dog name. Man, you are so ugly you even look like one." And she laughed harder, seeing how red his face got, as he tried to keep his cool. She could tell he was angry and realized she might just have some fun with this one.  
Walking over to the paramedics, she said, "Ok, there are a few people to check on. That black kid over there is dead, I shot her earlier. The security guard is only knocked out, but one of the pregnant ladies claimed not to feel well, so I made her stay, plus I don't know if she speaks English. She only spoke Japanese or Chinese or whatever, so see her first. Then I will tell you who to take care of next. Now go."  
And she followed them over. As they passed Chet, she again patted him and said, "Good boy, Chester. Don't you guys like my new doggie?" and she smiled benignly at Roy and John, who saw that she was truly quite insane.  
They went over to the pregnant lady and asked her if she spoke English and she replied, "Yes, I do. I am not feeling well. I have a weak heart and am having a lot of chest pain and trouble breathing. And I feel the baby wants to come, but it's too soon. OH!" she screamed as she began experiencing active labor.  
Roy and John set up, while Roy said, "Ok, what is your name?"  
"Kata"  
"Ok, Kata, take deep breaths, that's it. Let me just take your blood pressure and pulse and then let the hospital know, ok?"  
She nodded and he did so, as John prepared to call the information into Rampart, when Emily suddenly ripped the biophone out of his hand and threw it. "NO phone calls. You guys claim to be medics, so you don't need any help."  
"No, you don't understand. We aren't doctors; we only do what the doctors tell us, like nurses."  
"NO, NO! You will do as I say! I AM IN CHARGE, NOT YOU. Now take care of these people and do whatever you need, I will take responsibility, don't you worry. And IF YOU AREN'T GOOD, I WILL SIC CHET ON YOU! Right, Chet?"  
Chet refused to acknowledge her, which angered her more. She ran over to him, grabbed him by his helmet strap and made him crawl from under the counter. She then removed the helmet and slapped him a few times with the pistol, causing him to cry out in pain.  
Chet crawled back under the counter and whimpered in pain.  
Getting angry with him, she yelled, "STOP it, Chet!" Chet held his breath to relax and she seemed calmed by this.  
Roy and John continued working on Kata with John asking Roy, "How are we gonna help anybody without a doctor's ok?"  
"Look, as senior paramedic, I accept all responsibility. We will do what we have to for any victims. Right now, Kata needs an IV and quick. Her BP is 94/50, pulse 134 and respirations 34 and labored, and the baby is crowning. So we have a double whammy here. Personally, I don't know if she is gonna survive, but the baby has to live, ok?"  
John nodded and got the equipment ready. Within fifty-five minutes, there were the cries of a newborn baby girl heard.  
Kata smiled weakly and asked to hold her daughter, saying, "I want to see my Midori. That is her name."  
She held her for a few minutes then suddenly gasped and went limp, with Johnny grabbing Midori from her mother's now lifeless arms.  
Attempting to revive Kata, they realized she was in full arrest and went to begin CPR. But Emily had other ideas. She ran over, yelling, "STOP! What are you doing?"  
"Her heart has stopped and we are gonna give CPR."  
"NO, God took her and she is with Him now. He told me it was her time and the baby would be ok. So leave her alone. And go see about that security guard. NOW."  
Reluctantly gathering up their equipment, John asked, "Can't we go check on Chet? He looks like he might be hurt a bit."  
"No, you guys don't have to worry about my dog. If he's hurt, I'll take him to the vet later. Now go see about that guard."  
And realizing that Emily no longer looked at Chet as human, Roy and John both realized that she had gone over the edge completely.  
As a matter of fact, Emily pictured Chet as a white and brown Afghan from her childhood. She had so many racing thoughts and conflicting ideas, she didn't know what was real anymore. The only real thing to her was Chet, not the person but the dog.  
As they neared where Chet was, Roy pretended he had to tie his shoe and bent down, whispering, "Hey, Chet, how are you?"  
"Ok, I guess. Get me out of here, Roy. PLEASE! I'm not a dog. And I gotta pee and I'm afraid she'll make me, if you get my drift!! Please help me."  
"Chet, you know we would if we could, but right now our hands are tied. Just try to be strong, ok?"  
Chet nodded sadly and hung his head, both in frustration and shame.  
Reaching the now awakening security guard, Roy and John assessed him and saw he only had a mild concussion with a small laceration above his right eye, which Johnny cleaned and bandaged.  
Roy walked over to Emily, told her how the guard was, and asked if there was anyone else.  
"No, that's about it. The Jap had asked that lady over there to stay with her and she is taking care of the kid and everyone else left."  
Looking over, Roy was surprised to see his sister-in-law, Laura Nestor, cuddling Midori.  
Walking over to her, he said, "Hi, Laura. You ok?"  
"Oh, hi, Roy. Yeah, I'm fine. Kata asked me to take care of her and look after the baby if it was born, so..."and she burst into tears, saying, "Poor little Kata, I never knew she was sick. Just a sweet little lady from Kyoto, who just came here two years ago with her boyhood sweetheart"  
Roy held his sister-in-law as John walked over and said, "Hi, Laura, long time no see."  
"Yeah, hi, John."  
"Roy? Who is that fireman with you? And why is she being so rotten to him in particular?"  
"That is Chet Kelly, the famous prankster of 51." John answered, mirthlessly, "But right now, he is her 'pet.' That crazy lady thinks he is a dog, not a man. I'm telling you, Roy, if she hurts Chet bad, I swear I'll kill her. I mean it."  
"I know what you mean, Junior. I feel the same way."  
They sat with Laura for a few minutes more when Emily abruptly called the paramedics over.  
Arriving at her side, John asked, "Hey, Emily, seems that all the excitement is over with, why not just quit and give up?"  
"NO! You don't get it! I did this to get away from this damn country! I want to go to Tahiti, where it's paradise and God is waiting for us there. I know my Chettie will love it there!" And she looked lovingly over at Chet, who refused to look at her.  
After saying that, she went over to Chet and called him, softly, saying, "Come here to mommy, Chettie."  
Knowing the consequences if he didn't, he crawled out and stood by her side.  
Taking a chance, he said, "Emily, can't I please stand up? I'm beginning to cramp in this position after so long, PLEASE!"  
Whirling on John in anger, she grabbed his collar and said; "STOP IT!" and she slapped his face with the butt of her gun, causing his nose to bleed and him to bite his lower lip.  
Splaying his hands across his chest, he said, "Huh? I didn't say anything. Chet said it. He is a man, not a dog!"  
Upon hearing this, she again pistol whipped John and made him walk in front of her. She pushed him into the vault and closed the door without locking it, yelling, "Can you hear me in there?"  
"Yeah" was heard.  
"OK, then just be good and if we need you, I'll come get you."  
She then turned to Roy and said, menacingly, "Ok, Mr. Medic, what do you see when you look at Chet? A man or a dog?"  
Knowing what he had to say and hating to do so, he said, "I see a dog."  
Chet looked up sadly and knew his fate was sealed.  
She then walked over to Chet and hugged him.  
A few minutes later, she said, "Hey, Mr. Medic, know anything about dogs?"  
"A little, why?" wondering what she had planned for Chet now.  
"Well, Chet here usually barks when upset and I am sure he is now, but he hasn't barked in over five hours and I'm a little worried. Can you take a look at him? I don't want him to suffer in any way."  
Roy bent down and pretended to examine Chet, while whispering, "Hey, Chet, listen, I am sorry but I think you have to act like a dog for this crazy lady. Better bark, ok. I'm really afraid for you now, especially after what she just said."  
"Do you think she would kill me? Oh, man, I'm so scared I could scream. Help me, Roy, please."  
"Listen, just play along and I think you will be safe, ok." Chet nodded.  
Roy stood up and said, "Ok, Chet, now speak for your mommy."  
And Chet went, "WOOF, WOOF, WOOF" which caused Emily to jump up and down and clap her hands in joy.  
She hugged Roy, ran over to Chet, and hugged him so tightly that he almost passed out.  
Hoping things were more amenable now, Roy said, "Ok, Emily, can we maybe get out of here, now. Midori needs to be cared for, and..."  
She cut him off, yelling, "NO! I did this to get out of this country. I want to go to Tahiti. I know my Chettie will love it, won't you?" and Chet barked again for her, making her smile.  
She then walked over to the phone, "Hey, pig, you still there?"  
"Yes, Emily, it's been over five hours, why not give up?"  
"NO, I still have hostages here. Plus one dead lady, a newborn baby and my dog. He needs to go for a walk but I can't find his leash, so I want a policeman to get me a new one. I want a nice one for a large dog, you hear me! And I want it within twenty minutes or I start shooting." and she hung up.  
Looking around, he asked if any hostages had mentioned a dog and came up negatively, but figured he'd better play along, for safety sake.  
Crockett sent Reed and Malloy who returned within fifteen minutes and were instructed to bring the leash to the door.  
Upon handing the leash to Emily, Reed noticed Chet next to her on all fours with his head down.  
Realizing the situation, Jim nudged Pete who slightly shook his head no.  
As they walked away, Jim said, "Why did you stop me, Pete? Didn't you see that she is making a human being the dog? And that man is one of my best friends, Chet Kelly, the God dad of Jimmy?"  
"Yeah, I know, partner, but if we tried anything, I can almost guarantee you, she would have shot Chet then and there. Let's go tell Crockett and see what he says, ok?"  
As they were updating Detective Crockett, Emily came out with a female hostage in front of her and Chet behind her on all fours, on the leash.  
Emily yelled, "Ok, pigs, one move and the lady dies. My dog has to relieve himself and then we're going back inside. Then I will let you know what I want."  
As the firefighters looked, they recognized the hostage as Roy's sister-in-law.  
She continued walking and suddenly stopped, saying, "Ok, Chet, go pee, baby."  
Chet just stood there, too freaked out to move. He knew he had to pee, but, man, he wasn't a dog! And he was NOT about to pee normally in public like this. He really was nonplussed.  
Suddenly Emily pulled on the leash and said, louder, "GO, DOG! I know you must have to go so come on, Chet, go. What is wrong?"  
Chet continued to stand there, but the urge was getting more intense and painful, so much, so that he actually whimpered in pain, praying Emily hadn't heard, but she had.  
"Oh, Chet, what is wrong, honey?" and she lifted his face tenderly and saw sadness in his big brown eyes. "OH, poor baby, all this stress must be too much for you. Those mean old cops are scaring my Chettie, aren't they?"  
Chet knew he couldn't answer, no matter how badly he wanted to, for that would probably be his death warrant for sure!  
The three remaining firefighters watched their brother and knew he was suffering.  
Marco gritted his teeth and said, "Dios Mio!"  
Mike nodded while Captain Stanley said, "Man, poor Chet. Even the phantom doesn't deserve this."  
Marco agreed, saying, "Cap, I think Chet is gonna be messed up mentally more than physically. What do you think?"  
Captain Stanley nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, I know, Marco. And I know John and Roy will be, too.  
Mike quietly said, “Man, why don’t they just shoot her now and get it over with?”  
Captain Stanley looked over at Emily, Chet, and Laura and realized why they weren’t shooting. “Mike, Marco, think about it. If they did shoot, she would still have a chance to shoot either one or both of them. I guess they don’t want to chance that. And, honestly, I can’t blame them.”  
Mike and Marco both nodded in agreement.  
As they were watching, they realized Chet probably really had to go to the bathroom, but knew he couldn’t in such a weird position.  
While Emily was turned toward Laura and telling her to keep walking, Chet quickly unzipped his pants, figuring he would try to pee. He really felt very uncomfortable and sick and knew he could hurt himself if he didn’t. But only a trickle came out and Chet didn’t feel any better. His bladder was super full and he felt like he weighed 500 pounds because of it. He felt sluggish and weak.   
Deciding to take a chance, he turned toward the wall, knelt on his knees, and tried to relieve himself as normally as possible. But still was unable to. He didn’t know it, but due to the buildup of urine and being dehydrated, his urine was very concentrated and had sediment in it due to lying in the bladder so long. Because of this, he would need a catheter to empty his bladder.   
After staying that way a while, with a few trickles coming out, he heard Emily say, “Good boy, Chet. I guess you are done, now.   
“Hey, pigs, we are going inside now. No tricks!”  
Chet quickly zipped himself up, and felt even more uncomfortable, due to the now tightness of the pants. His bladder still bulged and he thought ~~Man, if I were lower to the ground, my damn bladder would drag on the floor. God, it hurts every time I breathe, much less move. I wonder if it is gonna burst or not? Oh, my God. How scary!!~~  
So they went back inside and Chet went to go under the counter, but Emily pulled the leash and said, “No, Chettie, you don’t have to go under there. I promise that it will be ok to stay out here by mommy.”  
So poor Chet was stuck staying near Emily and knew he would have no chance to let Roy know how he felt and ask if this could kill him.  
Emily picked up the phone and called Detective Crockett, telling him she wanted a can of Alpo dog food and two bowls for Chet, as he was hungry. Chet just hung his head and shook it forlornly. ~~NO way am I eating dog food, lady. You are gonna just have to kill me, I guess! ~~  
A little while later, Reed and Malloy again delivered the dog food and bowls, with Reed saying, “Hey, Emily, you know your dog may be too stressed to eat, so don’t force him, unless you want him to get sick.”  
“Yeah, right, cop. Like you know my dog better than me. Don’t you worry, it’ll be fine. Now get away from here.” And she slammed the door in their faces, while Chet sighed.  
She then filled one bowl with water and smiled when she saw the can opener in the bag. She opened the can and poured its contents into the other bowl. Setting both in front of Chet, she said, “Ok, Chettie, dinner time. Mommy got you some nice fresh water, too.”  
Chet refused to eat and especially to drink, and at first, Emily just let him be. After about ten minutes, though, she began to lose patience with him.  
She knelt down next to him and said, softly, “Come on, baby. It’s time for supper. I know you must be hungry and thirsty.”  
Shaking his head, Chet refused. Becoming angry, she grabbed his head and pushed it into the water, making him swallow some. She then grabbed his head and pushed it into the food, making him swallow some of this. The water wasn’t a problem, but the food smelled and tasted awful. As soon as she let go of his head, he lifted it up and shook the food off, trying not to get sick. He licked his lips to rid the food and she mistook this for him liking it.  
“See, you like it. Go ahead baby eat.” and she petted him and reluctantly, Chet tried to pretend to eat. But Emily caught on, and grabbed a handful of food and forced him to eat it. She did this until the bowl was empty, not realizing how sick she was making Chet.   
After a few minutes, Chet began gagging and knew he was going to vomit.   
Running over to Roy, and making believe he was licking his hand, with Roy petting him, saying, “Good boy.”  
Emily said, “Ok, Chet, I know you are mad at me now, but you had to eat baby or you would have gotten sick. Roy, you make sure you don’t hurt him or else.”  
“I understand, Emily.   
“Can’t you let my partner out? I think he learned his lesson. I think he was kidding when he said he thought Chet was a person. He has a weird sense of humor.”  
Thinking about this, she nodded and walked over to the vault, saying, “OK, Mr. Medic, come on out. Your partner is petting Chet. He has told me you have a weird sense of humor. Just be careful, or it will get you in trouble one day.”  
John left and said, “OK, I’m sorry. Of course, Chet is a dog.”  
Walking over to his partner and friend, he sat and began petting Chet, too.  
Emily began pacing around. While she wasn’t paying attention to them, Chet said, very lowly, “Guys, I feel really sick now. At first, it was just my bladder being so full and when I went outside, I couldn’t go. Now it feels like there is a basketball in me. Can it burst? Plus that dog food really got to me and I feel very very nauseous, but am afraid to throw up. I don’t know how she will react to it. Can’t you do anything to help me? Why isn’t the SWAT team coming?”  
And suddenly Chet clutched his lower abdomen, screamed, and passed out.  
Emily ran over and screamed. “What did you do to him?”  
John got up and said, “Emily, we didn’t do anything. I think he is sick. Let us examine him, ok?”  
Nodding her assent, John and Roy began their examination.   
Whether or not she still saw Chet as a dog was irrelevant to the paramedics.   
John took his blood pressure, which was 100/73, pulse 125 and bounding, and his respirations were 20 with expiratory rales at both bases.   
Turning him on his back, they loosened his clothes and saw that he had lost control of his bladder. His urine was indeed concentrated but also very bloody. Palpating his bladder, Roy realized he had probably burst his bladder. He told John and they both knew Chet was very critical and would definitely die without medical treatment as soon as possible.   
Getting up, Roy said, “Emily, here is the situation. I have no idea what you see Chet as. But he is a man and very very sick! His bladder has burst and he is dying. WE HAVE TO GET HIM TO THE HOSPITAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, LIKE YESTERDAY!!! Do you understand?   
“End this craziness now, before you get any deeper!!”  
While this was happening, Captain Stanley had approached Detective Crockett with a question.  
“Detective Crockett, I have a question. How did she escape from prison?”  
“She wasn’t in prison, Captain. She was a patient in the county hospital for the criminally insane for the past six months. She had killed her dog by cutting its head off because she thought he was trying to kill her. She then assaulted her father and almost killed him, because she thought he was being possessed by the devil. She feels she was sent here by God to do the work Jesus didn’t finish and that He is personally directing her.”  
“Oh, man. How did she get out?”  
“Well, that is where they goofed up. She had them fooled into thinking she was really going along with the program, so well, she had received permission to go to the mall with others and counselors. Apparently, she said she had to go to the bathroom and snuck out that way.”  
As they were talking, Emily ran out, yelling, “It’s over!! HELP Help. There is a man dying in here!! Roy told me to tell the firemen to bring the stokes and contact Rampart for an ambulance.”  
Captain Stanley ran over to his men and Mike and Marco ran in with the stokes and waited while Roy began the IV on the still unconscious Chet. Marco was in shock, he looked dead!!  
“Roy, did she shoot him?”  
“No, guys, I think his bladder burst. Plus he is dehydrated and may be poisoned from being force-fed dog food. I just hope the dog food was ok.  
“Come on, let’s get him out of here before that crazy bitch changes her mind.”  
And they proceeded to carry Chet out, but suddenly Emily grabbed Roy and said, “You are the hostage, now.” She made the security guard and Laura leave and made Roy go back in the bank.  
“I changed my mind. Ok, Chet was really no fun, but maybe we can still have some fun, huh, Roy?”  
Roy just looked at her, saying to himself, ~~Man, this lady is crazier than I thought! ~~  
“What do you have planned? You aren’t gonna get far. You have already killed someone. What worse can you do?”  
Laughing, Emily said, her eyes glassy, “I don’t know, but I don’t intend to go back there. I need to be free!”  
Roy just looked at her and didn’t answer her.   
Suddenly the doors were crashed opened and Roy scrambled under the counter.   
The SWAT team surrounded her and she threw the gun down and sagged. Roy got up and passed out.  
Pete Malloy ran over to him, making sure he was ok. He had an ammonia pellet in his pocket and put it under Roy’s nose, which immediately revived him.  
“You ok, Roy?”  
Smiling, Roy said, “Yeah, now I am. Is Chet on his way to Rampart?”  
“Yes, he is and I sent Jim, too, as he was too upset to do anything else. This has really freaked my partner. I hope he’ll be ok.”  
“He’s not the only one, believe me, Pete. Do you know she made him eat the dog food you guys bought? I am so afraid that may have caused him some harm, too. Poor Chet!! I only hope he survives this.”  
Roy happened to look at his watch and saw that it was now 2:15pm. ~”Man, we were here almost five hours, with poor Chet suffering the whole damn time. What a horrible way to spend Christmas. God, please let Chet be ok.”~  
Roy walked slowly out of the bank and over to his fellow firemen, who immediately asked what happened to Chet.  
When told, they were shocked!   
“Man, Roy. How could anyone make somebody eat dog food? She really is nuts! Do you really think Chet will be ok?”  
“Cap, guys, I’m not sure of anything right now. I am exhausted and mentally screwed up right now. I could scream I am so angry. I felt so useless watching her abuse Chet and not being able to help him. Man, I even made him bark like a dog and called him one. Even Johnny had the nerve to stand up to her, but not me. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if Chet never forgives me. I don’t know how I am gonna live with this. I really don’t.” And he broke down and cried.  
Mike came over and squeezed his arm, saying, “Roy, I have a feeling if you had stood up to her, Chet would have suffered even more. She probably would have shot him then and there.”  
Finally calming himself down, Captain Stanley said, “Roy, I’ve had the chief stand us down so we can go to the hospital. Also, Jim Reed has contacted Chet’s family who will be there. Jim has taken the rest of his shift off and is waiting for you in the squad. We’ll meet you at the hospital. We’ll talk more later. Just try to stay calm, ok?”  
Nodding, Roy shuffled over to the squad and silently drove to the hospital.  
Jim didn’t mind as he was concentrating on praying for his best friend. ~How would he explain this to little Jimmy? ~  
As they drove to the hospital, Jim Reed tried to figure a way to let Roy know that he had nothing to feel guilty about. He was put in a situation in which his options were extremely limited. If the perpetrator had felt deceived, she would have shot either him, Johnny or Chet or all three of them. How could he explain this to him, as a policeman he knew this to be true.  
“Roy?”  
“ROY?”  
“Huh, yeah, Jim, sorry. I’m just so worried about Chet.”  
“Yeah, me too, me too. But I want to make one very important thing clear to you. You had no choice! You guys were in a very dangerous place and anything you said, ANYTHING, could have set her off. You are very lucky none of you were shot. Especially Johnny, by not agreeing that Chet was a dog.  
“I bet you feel guilty, but you really shouldn’t. You not only did the right thing, but you probably prevented her from shooting anyone else. I am sure Chet will understand that.”  
“I guess so, but man, it was just so damn scary. How do you deal with stuff like that all the time?”  
Jim laughed and said, “Well, I could ask you the same question about being a fireman/paramedic. How do you go into a burning building all the time?”  
Both men smiled at one another, knowing their answers would be just about the same.  
Arriving at the hospital, Roy parked near the engine and ran in; knowing Chet and John had already arrived.  
As they got in the waiting area, Dixie pointed to the doctor’s lounge and said, “I sent everyone in there. Dr. Brackett will be with you guys when he has finished checking with Chet.”  
“Ok, Dix. Is John with Chet yet?”  
“No, Roy, I sent him there, too. I have coffee, tea, juice, and snacks there for you guys. I am sure you must be hungry. Now go and try to relax.”  
With that said, Dixie went over to her station, and Roy and Jim went into the lounge, where they saw the crew of 51 as well as Mrs. Kelly and Lou and his wife Alana.   
Upon seeing Roy, Captain Stanley walked over and said, “Roy, Jim, come over and get something to eat and drink. I don’t know about you, Jim, but I know for a fact Roy hasn’t had anything since 8:30 this morning.”  
Roy nodded, but instead went over to Mrs. Kelly.   
“Mrs. Kelly? Hi, I’m so very sorry about what happened to Chet.”  
Mrs. Kelly looked up at the distraught young man and said, “Oh, not you too. Your partner and you have nothing to feel guilty about. Chet volunteered to go in with you, he knew the danger. Both of you saved his life. If you had not been with him, he would probably be dead by now. So, please Roy relax and try to think positively that Chet will be ok.”  
Roy nodded and felt someone squeeze his arm. Looking around, he saw Johnny holding a cup of coffee for him, which he accepted. Johnny then led him over to the snack table and made Roy eat something.  
After ninety minutes, a very weary Dr. Brackett walked in.  
After getting himself a cup of coffee, he then walked over to Mrs. Kelly, while the rest gathered around them.  
“Well, Mrs. Kelly, there is one piece of good news. Chet didn’t burst his bladder, what he did was burst his appendix causing his pancreas to become infected. This is very serious, too. He is being prepared for surgery as we speak. Dr. Early will be doing the surgery.  
“What this means is that we have to remove his appendix. His bladder did sustain some damage, so we are putting in a suprapubic catheter. What this will do is bypass his bladder to give it time to heal. While in the OR, Dr. Early is going to insert a nasogastric tube that will remove the stomach acids and prevent nausea and vomiting. He is also going to have a PICC line, which is a special IV. This is for nourishment and medications. He is not going to be able to eat for quite a while and that is why. The nourishment is called TPN, or Total Parenteral Nutrition, which is dextrose, water, vitamins, minerals and sometimes insulin or other nutrients.”  
“Doctor? Why won’t he be able to eat? What is the pancreas? Is it really important? Why not just remove it?”  
“Well, Lou, the pancreas is a very important organ for maintenance of insulin in the body and digestion. Without it, Chet would definitely be diabetic and a very brittle one. Also, he would have great difficulty digesting food and would probably need IV nourishment for the rest of his life. So you see, the pancreas is very very important.”  
“OK.”  
“Dr. Brackett, why does Chet need the TPN and tube?”  
“Well, this is normal for pancreatitis, which is what it is. But also in this case, the dog food she made him eat may have caused some damage and the NG tube will get rid of it. Also, most patients with pancreatitis don’t really have much of an appetite, so this prevents excessive weight loss. Plus nausea and vomiting is a very common problem with this. Any other questions?”  
Seeing noone had any, Dr. Brackett said, “Ok, people, I am going to assist Dr. Early so I better get up to the OR. This operation should take about three hours, and if you want, you could wait in the operating or ICU waiting area. Chet will definitely be in ICU at least three days.”  
“Oh, Dr. Brackett, one quick question.”  
“Yes, Mrs. Kelly?”  
“How long do you think Chet will be in the hospital?”  
“That is difficult to say at this point. I do think at least three weeks, but I will know more after we finish the operation.”  
“Three weeks! My, but that is a very long time. Thank you.”  
Nodding affirmatively, Dr. Brackett left to go to the operating room.

Resuming his pacing, Lou took out two cigarettes and lit both, handing one to Alana. He then offered one to all, and Johnny said, "Oh, yeah, I REALLY need one, thanks."  
Roy, hearing this, ran over to John saying, "C'mon, Junior, you don't want to do that. You WERE doing so well. It's been over three months that you've had one, right?"  
"Yeah, Roy, but God, if I don't do something to calm down, I'm gonna go crazy."  
Captain Stanley walked over, saying, "John, we all feel the same way. But don't you think Chet would feel very guilty if he knew his being here is why you started up again. Why not go for some fresh air or something? Maybe that'll help."  
Roy said, "Yeah, let's go get some air. I could use some, what about it, Johnny?"  
Johnny returned the unlit cigarette to Lou and sighed, "Yeah, you are right. Maybe some air will help." Marco, Mike, and Captain Stanley agreed and the paramedics went for a walk, making sure that all knew to get them if anything happened. Meanwhile, in surgery, Dr. Early, with the assistance of Dr. Cagney, the urologist, were busy working on Chet. They had begun the operation by placing a suprapubic catheter to bypass his bladder.   
When Dr. Cagney saw the extent of the damage, he said, "Hey, Joe, the kid is lucky. His bladder is damaged, but only slightly, but his spleen is a mess. I think it may just have to be removed. His pancreas is damaged as we suspected, but it is not as serious as first thought. The rest of his urinary system is intact, thank God. His stomach has some damage and I think, perhaps a Peg tube temporarily. What do you think, Joe?"   
Joe thought for a moment and nodded, "Yeah, Sam, I think that is a good idea. It will definitely be easier for him. He is definitely going to be on TPN and NPO, as we all know, due to the pancreatitis."  
"I'd say, all in all, Chet Kelly is doing better than we thought."  
"Yup, I agree." Dr. Brackett was in the observation deck and felt very relieved to hear this. Even though, this definitely did mean an extensive recovery time for Chet, he was going to make it. He decided to go tell the assembled friends and family the good news.  
As Roy and John reentered the OR waiting area, they saw Dr. Brackett approaching, looking tired, but with a smile. Clasping both younger men on the shoulders, he said, "Well, boys, Chet is doing better than expected." And he walked into the waiting area and relayed his good news.   
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Kelly asked, "Why can't Chet eat?"  
"Well, Ma’m, with pancreatitis, the appetite is almost always decreased. But the main reason is the nasogastric tube. The NG tube is inserted through his nose into the stomach to rid the stomach of toxic contents. This includes pancreatic as well as whatever was in that dog food she made him ingest. The TPN will keep him hydrated and has vitamins and minerals in it. The tube feeding, which will be in his stomach, will have liquid food and his medications will be given that way.   
"While this is going on, and due to his pancreatitis, we will be testing his blood glucose. What that is, is a measure of the amount of sugar in his blood. Chet, at this point, has many factors that will affect it.   
"He will be getting D5NS which is sugar water with normal saline in the TPN as well as an IV of Ringer's Lactate. He will also be getting a lot of sugar via the tube feeding. This can raise a person's blood sugar dangerously and there are times when I will need to add insulin to his TPN. Is anyone here a diabetic?"  
Alana raised her hand and said, "Yes, Dr. I am and so is my brother. Is he gonna be on coverage, too?"  
"Yes, Alana he will be. We will be testing his sugar four times a day. When the TPN is stopped, we will continue to test it until the pancreatitis is completely resolved. It could also happen that this could lead to Chet's becoming a diabetic. Any other questions?"  
Lou said, "I have one. How long a hospitalization are we looking at here?"  
Dr. Brackett put his hands in his pockets and thought about this. "Well, that is really hard to say. Pancreatitis, itself, is a long recovery time, usually 4-6 weeks. But with all that he has been through, I think Chet may be looking at a two-month or longer stay with us. Remember he needs to go through physical therapy, too. And I am quite positive he will need some psychological therapy as well. He really had a big blow to his mind and body image yesterday. I'm sorry for the rotten Christmas present, but at least we know Chet will be getting well."

In answer to that, Mrs. Kelly said, “Oh, Dr. Brackett, you have just given me a wonderful Christmas present-my son is going to live. Jesus has shown his light upon him, thank God.”  
Dr. Brackett smiled at her and said, “Well, I am glad you feel that way. That is a very important way to be. You must all be positive for Chet’s sake. I am sure he will be depressed after all he has gone through.”  
And as he was talking, Dr. Early walked in, with Dr. Sam Cagney, the urologist.  
Smiling at everyone, Dr. Early said, “Well, as I am sure Dr. Brackett has said, Chet is doing well. He does have pancreatitis and his bladder was slightly damaged, but nothing as severe as we thought. Let me introduce you to Dr. Cagney, here. He is the urological surgeon who operated on Chet.   
“Dr. Cagney?”  
“Hello, I am Dr. Sam Cagney. I operated on Chet and, even though his condition is not as severe as we thought, it is very serious. He does have a suprapubic catheter that is directly inserted into his bladder, thus allowing the urine to come out directly. This will allow the bladder to rest and not become too filled. Not only will this allow the bladder to heal, but also it will put less pressure on the pancreas. This is only a temporary measure and I am hoping to remove it within three weeks. As you know, his appendix burst, causing the pancreatitis, so we definitely removed that. Now let me let Dr. Early fill you in on the rest.”  
Dr. Early took over, saying, “As you were told earlier, Chet does have a nasogastric tube as well as a gastrostomy tube. The NG tube is removing all the gunk out of his stomach and the gastrostomy tube is feeding him. I know that sounds like we are putting it in and pulling it out again, but that is not true. The gastrostomy tube is not continuous and will only be used to feed Chet nourishment, while the NG tube will only be sucking out the bad stuff. He does have the PICC line as we discussed, and will have two IV’s as well as his TPN in this. The TPN, which is nourishment also, will be continuous.   
“One thing about the NG tube, I don’t think he will have it more than a week, so we may be able to start him slowly on food. Probably liquids first then we’ll see. But, and this is quite common with pancreatitis, don’t be too shocked if he doesn’t eat anything for at least two-three weeks. That is another reason for the TPN and the gastrostomy tube. Pancreatitis takes away the appetite quite fully. Any questions?”  
Marco asked, “Dr. how will this affect his career?”  
“Well, Marco, that is a very good question and one that is rather difficult, at this early stage, to answer. I am hoping that Chet does have a complete recovery, both physically and psychologically. To be honest, I think his psychological recovery may take longer than his physical. Remember, one’s mental outlook is very important to how one deals with illness and trauma. So, Marco, I really don’t know.   
“I do know Chet is looking at a six-eight week hospital stay, at the very least and that is only his physical condition. I have no idea about the mental at this point. We have to wait until Chet is awake and see how he is.”  
“Thanks, Doc.”  
Roy said, “Doc, I have one question-what about that damn dog food that crazy lady made him eat. I mean she forced him to swallow it.”  
“Well, Roy, everyone, that is one of the main reasons for the NG tube. From what we saw, he didn’t seem to have too much of it in his stomach and the amount of taurine, an ingredient in dog food and bile, didn’t do too much damage. So I really don’t see a problem with that, thank God. Any other questions?”  
Seeing there were none, Dr. Early said, “Sam, do you have anything further to add?”  
Shaking his head negatively, Sam smiled. “Ok, then, good people, let us go check on Chet and see how he is doing. I, or Dr. Brackett will come back to let you know when he can have visitors. He is gonna be in ICU at least five days, if not longer. Hopefully he will be off the vent and can talk to you.” And with that Drs. Early and Cagney left.  
Outside the door, Sam said, “Joe, I am gonna go see some of my other patients. I have already written orders and checked on Chet. He seems stable from my end, so I’ll see you later. I will check on him again before I leave. OK?”  
“Sure, Sam, no problem. Thanks again for your help. See ya later.” And Dr. Early went off to recovery to check on Chet.  
Arriving in recovery, he looked over Chet’s chart and was satisfied he was stable.   
Going over to him, he saw he was not yet awake. Attempting to rouse him, Dr. Early shook his shoulders, saying, “Hey, Chet. Sleepy head, time to wake up.”  
Chet slowly opened his eyes and looked up, seeing a fuzzy face in front of him. The voice sounded familiar, but in his confusion, he couldn’t place it.  
“Well, hello, there. Chet? You are in Rampart and I’m Dr. Early. I know you may be a bit confused, but you just came out of surgery. Are you awake enough for me to explain a few things to you?”  
Chet tried to talk, but realized he couldn’t, because of the ventilator, so he shook his head.  
“OK, well, you can’t talk right now, because you still have the ventilator to help you breathe. Do you remember what happened today?”  
Again Chet nodded, and looked a bit frightened.  
“Well, it is all over. You are safe and so are Roy and Johnny. You do have some damage to your bladder so you have a temporary suprapubic catheter to alleviate the pressure of a full bladder, your appendix ruptured so we removed it, and this caused an infection of your pancreas.  
“This causes nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite and can be painful. You have a nasogastric tube to rid your stomach of the toxic substances, and a gastrostomy tube. The gastrostomy tube is to give you nourishment, as you will not be able to have anything by mouth for a while. This is how you will be getting some of your medicine. You also have a special IV line called a PICC line because you need to have at least two I Vs at a time. One will be a nourishment called TPN, which will provide vitamins, minerals and other stuff.”  
Looking down, he saw Chet looking shocked. “I know it sounds like a lot, but Chet, just think how much worse it could have been. If your bladder had ruptured, you would have needed a permanent urinary diversion. And your pancreas will repair itself, so you should be ok. Do you know what the pancreas does?”  
Seeing him shake his head, Dr. Early explained and then said, “But remember, this does NOT mean you will be a diabetic. And even if you are, it should not be a career ender.  
“Now let me see if we can remove this ventilator.”  
And finding out he could, Dr. Early removed it and wiped Chet’s mouth with a wet cloth.  
“Well, Chet, tell me, any reaction to what I just told you?”  
Smiling, Chet opened his mouth to talk, but instead of words, he barked. Chet’s eyes opened wide and he again tried to talk, but all he did was bark.   
Instead of reacting, Dr. Early calmly said, “Ok, Chet, calm down, son. I’m sure this is just a reaction to what that woman did to you earlier. Answer me with a nod or shake of your head-are your thoughts words?”  
Nodding his head affirmatively, Chet opened his mouth, but closed it quickly. He was afraid of what would happen. ~”Maybe I am a dog”~  
“Ok, well, then I really do think this is temporary. What I want to do is get you settled in ICU and let you rest. Maybe later your thoughts will allow the words to come. Would you like to see your mom?”  
Nodding affirmatively, Chet smiled. “Ok, Chet, then let me get the paperwork ready for your transfer. I’ll see you in a bit.”  
And walking over to the nurse’s station, Dr. Early said, “Please contact Dr. Brackett and have him meet me in ICU. Also, Mr. Kelly is suffering from his kidnapping situation, so please don’t react if he barks instead of talks. I want to order some Valium for him to help him relax. Let’s start with two mg. IV NOW and then two milligrams every four hours for 24 hours and see if that doesn’t help. OK?”  
“Yes, Dr.” Ms. Boycett replied and prepared the medication while the unit secretary prepared the transfer.  
Instead of going to see Chet’s family and friends, Dr. Early went straight up to ICU. He needed to talk to Kel about what was going on with Chet. He also had an idea he wanted to try out on him.  
As he arrived in ICU, he saw Dr. Brackett just leaving the elevator and decided to wait for him.  
“Hey, Joe. What is it?”  
“Well, Kel, remember how we said Chet Kelly might be needing some therapy when he is bit better?”  
“Yeah.”  
“Well, the problem is more immediate than that. I spoke with him a bit in Recovery and there is a definite problem. He wasn’t able to verbalize to me in words. He barked! According to him, he is able to visualize the words but can’t get them out. Now I doubt there is brain damage, but I want to check it out anyway.”  
“OK, Joe. DAMN! I figure you’ll be doing an EEG, huh?”  
“Yeah, but as I said I don’t think it’ll show anything. He seems lucid in every other way. But I do have an idea and I want to see what you think of it.”  
“K, pal. Lay it on me.”  
“Well, I was thinking you and I could try this now. As I said, he is able to visualize the words. I think the barking, hopefully, is only temporary.   
“Here is what I plan-I, or you, would say something to him and reinforce it until he repeats it and then make him repeat it on his own and keep doing it until he is able to without barking. Things like My name is Chet Kelly. I am a fireman. I am a person, etc. What do you think, Kel?”  
“Um, I don’t know, Joe. The problem is that we aren’t psychiatrists. We could be doing him harm, don’t you think?”  
“I agree we aren’t shrinks, but no, I don’t think we would be doing him more harm than good. I really think this will bring him out of the dog persona quicker. Plus I haven’t told anyone of this latest development. I would like to be able to send his family and friends to see him without that. So please consider it and let me know. If you don’t want to participate, I’ll understand, but I am gonna do it when I see him in a few minutes.”  
Dr. Brackett considered this for a bit and finally nodded, saying, “I know it is a good idea, but I am worried about him. Do you really think this might work?”  
“Well, I am hopeful. To be honest, I am not really sure. But it is better than doing nothing, don’t you think?”  
And Dr. Brackett nodded at that.  
Within a few minutes, both doctors walked in, with Joe saying, “Kel, just follow my lead when I start it, ok?”  
“Ok, Joe, you’re the boss.”  
Dr. Early said, “Well, Chet, I see you are settled. You ok?”  
At this, Chet nodded, afraid to talk, knowing that he would only bark. He was very depressed and scared that he would stay this way forever.  
“Chet, I want to try something to help you stop barking, ok?”  
Chet nodded affirmatively and looked at Dr. Early with frightened eyes.  
“Chet, don’t be scared. It is only a test, ok?  
“Ok, repeat the following statement after me-My name is Chet Kelly.”  
Chet attempted and only barked three times and punched the bed in frustration.  
“OK, calm down and try again-My name is Chet Kelly.”  
Again, he barked and again Dr. Early said, “My name is Chet Kelly.”  
This time Chet said, “My name is woof Kelly.”  
“Ok, Chet, try again, My name is Chet Kelly.”  
Again, Chet attempted, saying, “My name is Chet Kelly.” and smiled broadly and repeated it three times without barking once.  
“Ok, great, now repeat this. I am a fireman.”  
“woof”  
“Try again, I am a fireman.”  
“I woof, woof” and he got so angry he threw the tissues across the room.  
“Calm down. Try again, and concentrate-I am a fireman.”  
This time he said, “I am a fireman.”  
Dr. Brackett and Early smiled and Dr. Early said, “Say it again for three times.”  
Chet did so and smiled even broader.  
“Ok, Chet try this one-“I am a person.”  
“Woof, woof, woof.” Again, he punched the bed in anger.  
“K, calm down and stay calm-”I am a person.”  
“I am a woof, woof!”  
Dr. Brackett, figuring this one might be a bit harder, said, “Hey, Joe, let me try something, ok?”  
“Sure, Kel.”  
Chet looked sadly at the two doctors, grateful for their help, but figuring he would never get better. Didn’t they realize he wasn’t a person?  
“Chet, try repeating this-“I am not a dog.”  
Chet looked at the doctor like he was crazy, but figured why not? He attempted to say it but only barked even more.  
Dr. Brackett said, “Ok, Chet, excuse us for a minute. I want to discuss something with Joe. Be right back.”  
Both doctors stepped out. Dr. Brackett said, “Joe, I think the problem is that that crazy lady really got to his mind. I think he does think he’s a dog. That is why he can’t say he is a person. To himself, he isn’t. Let’s get him talking then we can work on the dog issue. Ok? What do you think?”  
Joe looked at his colleague, thought about what he’d said, and knew he was probably right. “Yes, Kel, I agree. Let’s get him to repeat the two statements he did well with and then we can see if that will make him talk.” And with that, they walked back into Chet’s room.  
Dr. Brackett walked over to him and said, “Ok, Chet, I want to say your name again for me.”  
At first Chet was afraid to open his mouth, but then after a minute or two, he said, “My name is Chet Kelly. My name is Chet Kelly.” and he smiled.  
“Great, now say, “My name is Chet Kelly. I am a fireman in Carson, California.”  
Chet said, slowly, “My name is Chet Kelly. I am a fireman in Carson, California.”  
“Great! Now repeat them 5 times for us.”  
Chet did so without any problems.   
Dr. Early then said, “OK, Chet, now I want you to try to tell us what station you work out of and also your coworkers names. Ok?”  
Chet tensed at this, afraid he would only bark, but he tried, saying, “My name is Chet Kelly. I am a fireman at Station 51 in Carson, California, woof.” and he stopped.  
“Keep going, Chet. Let’s see if you can overcome this.”  
“OK, I’ll woof try. My name is Chet Kelly. I am a fireman at Station woof 51 in woof, woof Carson, California. I work with Cap, Mike, woof Marco, John and woof woof woof woof.” and he stopped and hit his head with his hand in anger. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t say Roy’s name, when he saw it plainly in his head.  
“Chet, even though you don’t think so, I think you did pretty well. What I would like you to try now is to say something on your own. Don’t repeat what you just said. Take your time and think of something, ok?”  
Chet thought about what he would like to say, but was afraid. After all, if he couldn’t get out Roy’s name, what else? Finally, he said, “Is Jim Reed here?”  
“Excellent! And yes, Jim is waiting in the ICU lounge with your family and coworkers from 51. Try to say something else. I want to hear you say stuff, whether it makes sense or not. I need to hear you say words.”  
“Ok, is my mom ok? And are John and woof woof woof ok? Why can’t I say his name!!?”  
“Ok, Chet, just calm down. I am not sure why you can’t say Roy’s name, but otherwise you are doing ok. Do me a favor and repeat your name and where you work and your coworkers, ok?”  
“K. My name is Chet Kelly. I am a fireman at Station 51 in Carson, California. I work with Mike, Cap, woof woof woof. DAMN. I work with Cap, Mike, John, Marco and woof woof. DAMN DAMN!” and he hit the bed again in frustration.  
“Chet, Chet! Listen I understand your frustration, but you are doing better. Who knows maybe when you see Roy, you will be able to say his name.”  
Shaking his head in agreement, Chet said, “Ok, doc. When can I have visitors?”  
“In a few minutes, as soon as we examine you. Would you like your mom to come first?”  
“Yeah, please. If Lou is here, can he come in too?”  
“Yes, Lou is here and I’ll send him in with your mom, ok.”  
After both doctors examined Chet, they left and his mom and Lou came in.  
“Hey, brother, how are you doing? He looks pretty good, huh, mom?”  
“Yes, Lou. Oh, Chet, I was so worried. How are you feeling, son?”  
“A bit better, mom. Did the doctors tell you I still bark once in a while?”  
“Yes, son, they did, but they assured us you are getting better. I have yet to hear it. Thank God.”  
“Well, just, woof, don’t be shocked. Sorry. I don’t know why I am doing that.”  
“Don’t worry, Chet, they will help you. Jim is here as well as all of 51s. Do you want to see them?”  
“Yes, I would like to see all of them.”  
“Ok, well, then let us leave. Dr. Early said only five minutes for each visit so we’ll get going now.”  
“Ok, Lou.”  
“Chet, I love you. Just keep praying and God will help you through this, as you know.”  
“Yes, mom. Believe me, woof, I haven’t stopped praying since woof woof.”  
His mom ran over to calm him, saying, “No need to go into detail. I understand exactly what you mean. Now calm down.”  
Hugging him mother, he answered, “Thanks for understanding. This is very frustrating, believe me. I love you mom!”  
And with that said, they left and Jim Reed entered, saying, “Hey, Chet! How are you?”  
“I’m ok, I guess.  
“Oh, damn Jim, I’m so scared!”  
“Why-you know that we got the perpetrator and she can never bother you again.”  
“It’s not that, man. It’s this woof, this damn woof, oh shit, you know!! I’m so scared I’ll never talk right again. How can I live like this? Maybe I really am a dwoof and just don’t know it.”  
“C’mon, pal, stop talking nonsense. You are a person and my best friend. You are JR’s God dad and he loves you very very much. He is very upset that his Uncle Chet is sick and he told me he would light a candle for you at Mass tomorrow, so you know he wouldn’t do that for a dog. He is doing it for his favorite person-Uncle Chet. You know I get jealous sometimes-I wonder who he loves more you or me?”  
Chet smiled at that and said, “Yeah, you are right. And I know he loves you more, he told me so. He said you are his woof, favorite cop and I am his favorite, woof, fireman.  
Damn, why can’t I stop?”  
“Give it time, Chet. According to Dr. Early, you have progressed greatly. He said all you did was bark in the recovery room. So just take things slow. And I bet you will be able to say Roy’s name quicker than you think.”  
“I hope so. So how is my little guy?”  
“He is fine, just really worried about you. I promised him you would get better real soon. Remember he has his first soccer game in January and he expects you there!”  
“I know and I want to be. I had better be out of here by then. Man, what a lousy way to spend Christmas. Do me a favor, stop at my place. There are five presents under my tree-three to JR and one each for you and Jess. This way you guys will at least have my presents.”  
“Ok, Chet, and I’m gonna stop by tomorrow with yours. Well, let me run. See you tomorrow, friend.”  
“Yeah, Merry Christmas!”  
“It is now that you are on the mend!” and he left.  
Within minutes, Marco, Cap and Mike walked in, smiling at seeing Chet awake and smiling at them.  
“Hi, guys, sorry to ruin your Christmas.”  
“Hey, Chet, you had nothing to do with it. How are you feeling?”  
“Ok, Cap, but hating spending the holiday here. And I still woof, see?”  
“Yeah, we know.” Marco said.   
Mike said, “Hey, guess what?”  
“What?” With that, Marco and Mike left and returned five minutes later with a small Christmas tree. Along with them were John and Roy, who said, “Merry Christmas, Chet. We all got a great Christmas present, seeing you on the mend.”  
“Thanks, guys.”  
Roy and John were standing on either side of the bed, with Roy standing closest to Chet.  
Suddenly Chet started barking and growling and grabbed at Roy and ripped his shirt and went to bite him.   
It took John and the others a few seconds to comprehend what was happening. Then John grabbed Chet while Marco pulled Roy away and Mike called for assistance.   
Roy just stood there in shock, looking at his arm bleeding profusely where Chet had bitten. None of them had any idea what was going on. Chet lay there, exhausted, but continued leering at Roy and growling angrily.  
Cap went over to Roy and said, “Hey, pal, you ok?  
“Johnny, maybe you should take Roy down to the ER to have his arm checked, Ok?”  
Realizing that Cap was attempting to take control of the situation and that it would be safer for Roy, Johnny said, “Yeah, sure, Cap. We’ll see you later. See ya later Chet.”  
Calmly, Chet said, as if nothing had happened, “Ok, John I’ll see you later.”  
After Roy and John had left, Cap said, “Chet! What got into you?”  
“What do you mean, Cap? I told you I still bark sometimes.”  
Realizing that he probably either didn’t remember what just happened or he was blocking it out, Cap decided to change the subject.  
“Yeah, guess I forgot. Be right back, I want to get a drink of water.”  
Cap walked over to the nurses’ station where Mike was talking to Dr. Early.   
“Doc?”  
“Yes, Hank?”  
“This is gonna sound weird. But I don’t think Chet has any idea what he did to Roy. He is acting as if everything is normal. Do you have any idea why he reacted to Roy that way?”  
“Yes, I do. When he started talking, he was able to say all your names except for Roy. And when he started talking about the situation, he started barking more. I think he is having difficulty accepting what happened to him, plus that Roy had to call him a dog. I think he is angry with Roy for treating him as a dog, even though he probably knows that is what kept him alive. Plus he still thinks of himself as a dog. With all this going on, he is reacting to Roy the only way he knows. But what you need to know is, this is his subconscious doing this and he really is unaware of it. He will have no memory of hurting Roy right now. When he does remember, believe me, he will be very upset.”  
“Ok, then, how can we help him?”  
“Well, definitely keep Roy away from him until he can handle it. That probably will be a while and I am sure after he starts seeing the psychiatrist. Also, don’t mention Roy or the bank incident. If he mentions it, fine. But if he becomes agitated, either by barking or otherwise, change the subject, unless Chet insists on discussing it. If he asks about Roy, say he is on vacation or something. Ok? In other words, be supportive of Chet and also of Roy. I am sure Roy, and John, too, should see the psychiatrist for a few sessions to deal with this.”  
“Ok, thanks doc. You’re right about Roy and John, but especially Roy. He already told me how terrible he feels about the way he had to treat Chet. I don’t think he will have an easy time forgiving himself. You know how hard Roy is on himself. We will give him, John and Chet extra support, right guys?”  
The three men expressed their agreement and Dr. Early said, “That’s what I figured. Now why don’t you guys go back to the station? Try to enjoy the holiday if you can.”  
“Yeah, oh, by the way we got Chet a little Christmas tree, is that ok?”  
Smiling, Joe said, “Definitely. Now go.”  
With that, the fire crew left and went to the ER, where they found John and Roy talking to Dixie.  
“Yeah, Dixie, it was weird. Chet just attacked Roy out of the blue.”  
Roy looked up and acknowledged his crewmates, “Hey, guys.”  
“Roy, how are you?”  
“I am good to go, Cap. Just broke the skin, no damage done.”  
Realizing that Roy didn’t want to discuss the incident, Cap herded his men out. They returned to the station, where Cap called headquarters for a replacement for Chet.   
As he walked into the dayroom, he saw all of them were there.  
“Glad you are all here. I just got off the phone with HQ and they will be sending Chet’s replacement within the hour. Until then the engine is stood down, but the squad isn’t. Are you guys up to it?”  
Johnny nodded while Roy answered, a bit low, “Yes, Cap.”  
“Roy, are you sure? I can always get a replacement for you, too, you know. And believe me, I am sure Johnny and we all understand. Right guys?”  
All voiced their agreement but Roy said, “No, Cap, I really think it is better if I keep busy. If I go home, I will just feel worse. OK? I will let you know if I have any problems or Johnny will if I don’t realize it. Right, Junior?”  
Johnny again nodded and Cap became concerned over his junior paramedic.  
“Johnny, what is it? This is not like you. You are TOO quiet. You ok?”  
“Yeah, Cap. I am. I just cannot stop thinking of what that crazy lady did to Chet. I don’t mean physically, even though that was horrible. I mean the head game she played with the guy. Man!”  
Realizing that Johnny was just as upset as Roy was, Cap said, “John, pal, you ok to work?”  
“Yeah, I am and like Roy it’s better if I do. We’ll keep an eye on each other, right pally?”  
Roy smiled sadly and said, “Right Junior.”  
At that, Roy stood up and said, “Hey, Cap, can I use your phone? I want to call Joanne.”  
Nodding affirmatively, Captain Stanley ambled over to get a cup of coffee while Roy went to call his wife. Captain Stanley knew that would help ease some of his senior paramedic’s depression.  
Within an hour, the replacement arrived. He was a very handsome young man with bushy light brown hair and sky blue eyes, was 5’9”, and weighed 145 pounds, all of which was solid muscle. He had a boyishly shy smile and stood at attention when he spoke.  
“Captain Stanley? I am FF Gareth Wagner here to replace your injured man.”  
“At ease, Wagner. May I ask when you graduated from the academy, young man?”  
Coughing sheepishly, he replied, “Just a month ago, sir. I don’t have a permanent assignment yet.”  
“Oh, so you are a probie? And how old are you, son?”  
“I’m 23 years old, sir? Why?”  
Smiling, John walked up to him and said, “Hey so am I. When is your birthday? Mine is Jan 18.”  
“Oh, mine is May 5.”  
“GREAT! Hey, Roy, guys, I’m not the youngest anymore!!”  
At this break in the sadness, everyone laughed and smiled.   
Captain Stanley then introduced the crew to him and gave him a quick tour of the station. He told him he would be sleeping, temporarily, in Chet’s bunk. He gave him an empty locker that was next to Mike’s and Marco’s.  
Suddenly the klaxons sounded, “Station 51, Station l0 structure fire 1038 Ousten Place, corner of Index. Time out 17:38.”  
Mike, who was nearest, replied, saying, “Ten-four, Station 51 to 1038 Ousten Place, corner of Index. KMG 365.”  
Handing the carbon of the call slip to Roy, Mike ran over to the engine and gave Cap the original. Making sure all were settled, he revved up the engine, shaking his head at the strangeness of seeing someone so young in Chet’s usual place.  
As they were the first to arrive, Captain Stanley was the incident commander and looked for someone who could update him.  
Finding noone at first, he began to order Roy and John, when a distraught woman interrupted him, “Oh, sir, thank God you are here. My son and husband are in the house. I just got home from the store and saw the flames, but can’t find them anywhere.”  
“Ok, Ma’m, do you have any idea where they may be?”  
“Oh, I know exactly. They are in the family room in the basement watching a soccer match from Wales. We are Welsh, you know. Oh, no you don’t.” And she began to get hysterical.   
“Now, Ma’m please calm down.   
“John, Roy, this young lady says her husband and son are in the basement. So I want you guys and Marco and Wagner to go search, ok?”  
As they hunted around for the basement entrance, they heard yelling, but to Roy, John, and Marco it sounded like gibberish, but not to Gareth, who knew it was Welsh.  
“Cyfnerth nyni! Ny lawr yma! Cyfnerth nyni! Fy mab sydd a rwyf I, hefyd! {Help us! We are down here! Help us! My son is hurt and I am, too!}  
Gareth turned to his coworkers and said, “They are downstairs and both are hurt!”  
Figuring he was right, the other three followed his lead and found the two men.   
Gareth spoke to them in Welsh and calmed the father down enough so that he was able to speak English. His son was unconscious and John was already assessing the boy.  
Johnny said, “Sir, what is your son’s name?”  
“Michael.”  
“OK, Michael, can you hear me? Michael?   
“Roy, he is unresponsive, but breathing on his own. B/P is 95/48, pulse 115 and pounding. Respirations 8 and labored with diminished on the right side. He has third degree burns on his hands and arms and first on his face. He has definitely eaten a lot of smoke.   
“Sir, how long has your son been out?”  
“About 10 minutes, why?”  
“Just wanted to know. I really think we should get out of here, now, Roy.”  
Roy agreed and told the father he would assess him outside. Gareth and Marco had cleared a way and brought the stokes down.  
After securing Michael, and making sure the dad was ok, they left.  
As soon as they got outside, the woman ran up to her family and cried. She screamed when she saw her son, scared he was dead.  
As soon as Roy and John got to the squad, the father passed out and Captain Stanley caught him before he hit the ground.  
By this time, the mom was hysterical and jabbering in Welsh. Gareth and Marco were back to fighting the fire and there was no one to help her. After a few minutes, she also passed out.  
Roy quickly called over Brice and Animal from Squad 10 who took over her care.  
John had acquired the biophone and contacted Rampart, “Rampart, Squad 51 calling in three victims of a structure fire.   
“Victim one is a male, approximately 16 years old, about 125 lbs, with severe smoke inhalation and burns. Vitals are 95/48, pulse 115 and respirations 8 and labored, diminished on right side. Has third degree burns on hands and arms and first degree on face. Oral cyanosis as well as nailbed cyanosis noted. Has been unconscious approximately 23 minutes. Was breathing on own, now on O2 at 6L/min via nonrebreather mask.”  
“Ten-four, 51. Start one large bore IV of Ringers Lactate at 100cc/hr and one IV of D10W at TKO rate. Give 5 mg of Morphine for pain IV slowly via the D10. Continue Oxygen. Irrigate all burns with sterile water and cover with sterile sheets. Have esophageal and trach set up ready if needed. Is there an ambulance on scene, 51?” Asked Dr. Brackett.  
“Ten-four, ambulance on scene. ETA 7 minutes.”  
“Ten-four, 51, make it a fast 7 minutes. We don’t know how long the boy has been unconscious.”  
And so Roy and John bundled Michael up for transport and John went with him. The second ambulance was there by now.  
“Rampart, victim number 1 is enroute. Victim number 2 was alert until 4 minutes ago when he lost consciousness. He is approximately 41 years old, average height and weight, B/P is 102/56, pulse 99 and thready, respirations 22 and on O2 at 8 L/min via nasal cannula. Has some second degree and third degree burns on both hands and upper arms as well as on his chest and face. His nasal passages are slightly burned, and breathing is stertorous. He has some possible rib fractures and a deep laceration on his left elbow, probably requiring stitches. Area has been cleaned and bandaged.”  
“Ten-four 51. Start two IV’s on him-one large bore Ringer’s Lactate at 100cc/hr and one of D10W at TKO rate and give 5 mg. of Morphine Sulfate in the D10. Keep oxygen as you have it. Irrigate all burns with sterile water and cover with sterile sheets. As with victim one, have esophageal and trach sets ready if needed. Transport ASAP.”  
“Ten-four, Rampart. Ambulance here. But there is a third victim. Hold on.” And Roy gave the biophone to Craig.  
“Rampart, Squad 10 here, victim 3 is a female, approximately 35 years of age, average height, slightly overweight in mild distress. She was not involved in the fire, but arrived to see her home engulfed with husband and son inside. Lost consciousness approximately 6 minutes ago, but did not injure self. B/P 138/75, pulse 135 and bounding, respirations 18 and regular. I have initiated O2 at 3L/min via nasal cannula for comfort and safety. Lungs are clear.”  
“Ten-four, 10. Start an IV of D5W at TKO rate and monitor vitals. Keep Oxygen at the rate you have. Transport ASAP.”  
“IV already done, sir. Transport present, ETA 7 minutes. Squad 10 and 51 out.”  
Handing the biophone back, Brice said, “De Soto, do you want me to attend the victims or do you?”  
“Well, Brice, being there are two and one is not very stable, I do think we both should. Ok?”  
“Yes, I agree.”  
So Brice and Roy went with the victims to the hospital, while the others stayed to fight the fire. Animal drove 10’s squad in.  
After two hours, the fire was finally under control.  
“Marco, pal, you drive the squad in and go get the guys. Maybe you could visit Chet, too.”  
Smiling, Marco said, “Ok, cap.” And started to walk to the squad. As he did, he passed Gareth.  
“Hey, Gareth. What language were you guys speaking? It’s very strange, but sounds so pretty?”  
Laughing lightly, he said, “Oh, Marco, that was my native language. I am from Swansea in Wales, a country bordering England. It is called Welsh.”  
“Oh, what were they saying?”  
“They were calling for help.”  
“Oh.” And he continued walking to the squad, when he stopped suddenly and turned back to the captain.  
“Hey, Cap? Maybe Gareth should drive the squad in.”  
“Why?”  
“Well, he is Welsh and was able to translate what that family was saying, so I figure maybe he could help out at the hospital, if they are too upset to speak English.”  
”Are you sure, Marco?”  
“Well, as much as I would like to visit Chet, I think this is a better idea.”  
“Ok, Gareth, what do you say?”  
“Ok, I think it is a good idea, Cap.’  
Smiling, the captain handed the young man the keys and said, “I bet none of my guys know this, but I am Welsh too, but don’t speak it. Maybe you could teach me some. You were born there, I take it?”  
Smiling, Gareth answered, “Yes sir, I was. My family moved here about sixteen years ago, as my father wanted to see if he could be the actor he always dreamed of being.” When he said this, his smile was replaced by a frown.  
“Well, we definitely have to talk more about this, Wagner, but get that squad to the hospital and we’ll meet you back at the station. Are you OK?”  
“Yes, sir. I am.” And he entered the squad and drove to Rampart hospital, silently thanking God that he had survived his first real fire without an injury or mistake.  
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Roy arrived with the victims, who were somewhat improved. When he went over to Dixie’s desk, John was not there.  
“John go to see Chet, Dix?”  
“Yeah, he did, Roy. Why don’t you go, too?”  
Roy just shook his head and walked outside to wait for the squad to arrive.   
John was visiting with Chet and telling him how he was no longer the youngest one at the station, now that Gareth was there.  
Chet laughed and said, “Yeah, John, but you are still the pigeon extraordinaire. How is the probie working, woof, out? DAMN!”  
Johnny just pretended as if he hadn’t heard, and said, “Pretty good, Chet, pretty good. He is from Wales. The weird thing is we just had a fire and a rescue and the family was Welsh, too. So Gareth had to speak to them and calm them down before they could talk to us. Weird, huh? Did you know Cap is Welsh?”  
“Yeah, that is pretty interesting. Cap is Welsh? Hm, never knew. How are the rest of the guys doing? Is RRwoof ok?” and he punched his pillow in anger. HE knew he was not really angry with Roy.  
Coughing a bit self-consciously, John said, “Everyone is ok, we just really miss having you around, and Roy feels really bad about what happened, you know.”  
I KNOW he does, man, which is why I cannot understand what is happening. I am not, woof, woof, mad at him. I’m NOT!”  
Attempting to calm his now distraught friend down, John said, “Chet, Chet. Just try to relax, ok; we all know you aren’t mad at him, but…”  
“But what, Gage?”  
“It’s just that I think your subconscious is, though.”  
Laughing derisively at John, He answered, “Yeah, sure, now you’re saying I’m nuts, too. Well, woof woof woof,” And Chet punched his chest in anger and began to bite himself.  
When John tried to stop him, Chet actually growled at him. Becoming worried, Johnny pulled the call button and told the nurse to call Dr. Brackett STAT.   
Within five minutes, Dr. Brackett was there and ordered five mg. of Ativan IV to be given now to calm the man down. He was still growling and had pushed himself to the edge of the bed and barking again. Even though he seemed to be very angry, all present could tell just how upset and scared Chet was. He had tears in his eyes and his face was red. He had also disconnected the heart and blood pressure monitors in his agitation, so there was no way to monitor him. Dr. Brackett was almost positive his blood pressure was very high at this point.  
“Chet,” Dr. Brackett said, as soothingly as possible, “Chet, just try to relax, ok? Try to lie back down and then tell me what is wrong.”  
As he was talking, he noticed Chet begin to sway and his eyes rolled. Suddenly Chet screamed and fell off the bed, landing on his back on the floor.  
All ran to the other side of the bed, while Dr. Brackett called a code.   
When they saw Chet, Johnny almost fainted. He looked dead.  
Roy had come up with Gareth and Dixie and was waiting. When he heard the code, he forgot all else and ran, along with Dixie, to help.  
Roy and John helped lift Chet back on the bed. He was still breathing and had a strong heartbeat, but his blood pressure was 210/150, dangerously high.  
When Dr. Brackett finally got to examine him, he saw he had probably suffered a right sided stroke, as evidenced by the left sided weakness. His left arm and leg were flaccid and the left side of his mouth drooped. He immediately had Dixie get Dr. Early for a neurological consult. He also had him transferred to ICU with an IV of D5W with a PB of 250cc NS with 300 ug/ml of Nitroprusside.  
“Make sure the PB is wrapped in foil, ok? Start titration at 0.5ug/ml until you get to 1 mg/ml. Run the main at 125cc/hr and the PB to go in over 1 hour. Monitor B/P every 5 minutes. If it goes to 134/76, I want the Nitroprusside stopped. Start him on Oxygen at 6 L/min via the nonrebreather mask and monitor his O2 saturation, making sure it stays between 92-96 or better. I want stat CBC, SMAC, PT/PTT/INR, Ferritin, liver profile, cardiac enzymes, Sodium and BUN. Also a chest and complete skull series, just to be safe. Neuro status every 15 minutes. If he awakens in any way, Dr. Brackett or I are to be notified, stat, no matter the time of day. Do passive ROM on all extremities at least twice a shift.” He said all this as he wrote it down, knowing that the ICU staff was carrying out his orders as he spoke.  
Chet’s family had been alerted by John and had arrived within the hour.   
Chet was still getting settled in ICU, but Dr. Brackett had come out to talk to them, update them and be as positive as he could, which was quite a bit, as Chet had only had a TIA. Chet’s B/P was now 126/74 and the Nitroprusside was no longer being used. He was still unconscious, but the skull series had shown no damage. His lungs, thankfully, were clear.   
Chet’s mom was the first one to go see him and she was in tears. She pinned his Rosary to his gown and prayed on hers. As she was praying, she heard movement and looked up, and saw Chet’s eyes were opened and he was trying to move his left arm, which he couldn’t.  
“Mom? What happened? Why am I in the hospital? Was I hurt at a fire?”  
She just stared and didn’t know how to respond.   
Figuring she would tell him the truth about the TIA, she said, “No, Chet, dear. Dr. Early says you had a TIA.”  
“A TIA? What is that? Like a stroke?”  
“In a way, Chet, but Dr. Early says it was bought on by the stress and is very temporary.”  
Realizing Chet may be a bit disoriented, Mrs. Kelly asked, “Chet, dear, do you remember what day today is?”  
“The 24th, right?”  
“No, dear, it is now December 27, 1973, and you have been here in the hospital since the 24th.”   
”I have? Was I unconscious or something?”  
Becoming worried, Mrs. Kelly got up and hugged her son, saying, “No, dear, you weren’t. You really don’t recall what happened the 24th?”  
Shaking his head negatively, he said, “No, mom, I really don’t. The last thing I really remember is getting a call to a bank fire.”  
“Ok,” she replied, and made an excuse of having to go to the bathroom.  
As soon as she left Chet’s room, she went to the nurse’s station and informed his nurse of these new developments in Chet.  
Ms. Andrews immediately called Dr. Early who ordered Chet’s vitals and said he would be right down.  
Ms. Andrews and Mrs. Kelly both went back to Chet’s room, with the LPN taking his vitals and telling him that Dr. Early was going to come down and see him in a few minutes.  
Chet’s B/P was 126/84, his temperature was 98.7, pulse 78, and respirations were 16, all within normal limits, which pleased both Chet and his mom very much.  
Within twenty minutes, Dr. Early arrived with Dr. Brackett.  
“Hi, Chet. Ms. Andrews tells me you don’t remember much since December 24th. Just exactly what do you recall, my friend?”  
Chet repeated what he had told his mom and when done, said, “But I know something else must have happened to have landed me here? Was anyone else hurt?”  
“OK, Chet, yes, you’re right, and no, noone else was hurt.”  
Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early, as well as Mrs. Kelly filled in the blank spaces for Chet, who was shocked and very upset he couldn’t recall these events, even though they were terrible.  
“Well, why can’t I remember any of that? It’s weird, like my mind is blank till now. This is really freaking me out, doctors, I can tell you that.  
“Are you sure Johnny and Roy weren’t hurt at all?”  
“Yes, Chet,” replied Dr. Brackett, “In fact, they have, as well as Captain Stanley, Mike and Marco, have been here to visit you quite often. They were really upset when they heard that you had the TIA.  
“But I do have some good news in regards to that. From your blood work and x-rays, it doesn’t look like any permanent damage was done. The paralysis you feel should be temporary and with physical and occupational therapy, you should regain use of both arms and legs again. Also, I think your memory will come back, although you might or might not ever remember the bank incident, as it was so traumatic to you.   
“One thing, though, if you do remember, WHENEVER you do remember it, please let us know. It is important, Ok?”  
Chet nodded affirmatively and asked, sounding a bit scared, “I understand why you said it was traumatic. From what you said, I must be blocking it. She really made me act like a dog?  
“Johnny must have loved that. Seeing the Phantom become a fool for all to see.”  
“Now,” Mrs. Kelly admonished, “You know better than that. None of your friends were happy by your misfortune. Did you know Jim Reed and Pete Malloy were there, too? And Jimmy was very upset and angry over what that crazy lady did to you.”  
“Reed was there? DAMN!   
“Yeah, I know you are right, mom. I’m sorry. Don’t tell John I said that. He’d be angry at me.”  
Dr. Brackett said, “While we discussed this, Chet, did any memories flare up, any thing at all, no matter how small?”  
“Yeah, one little thing, I remember having to pee real bad.”  
“Yes, that is one of the complications of your enforced captivity. You have a temporary suprapubic catheter in to drain your urine. This is bypassing your bladder, which was damaged a bit and needs time to heal. You also have pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of your pancreas. This is why you have the gastrostomy tube and TPN. The gastrostomy tube is for your medication and food, and the TPN is extra nutrition, such as vitamins, insulin, and other medication. We are testing your blood sugar due to the high sugar content of the TPN.”  
“OK, but why can’t I eat the regular way?”  
“Well, let me ask you this and please answer honestly. Do you really feel hungry at all?”  
Chet thought about this for a bit and realized he really wasn’t at all hungry, even though he knew he probably had eaten nothing by mouth for at least two days.  
“No, Doc, I don’t and I am sure I’ve eaten nothing for at least two days, right? Why don’t I feel hungry?”  
“Well, Chet, that is one of the complications of the pancreatitis. Most people with this don’t feel hungry and that is the reason for the TPN. In your case, your throat and esophagus are also a bit inflamed, so we are using the gastrostomy tube until those inflammations heal. OK?”  
“Ok, I guess. About how long?”  
“Well, I hope to be able to remove the gastrostomy tube by January 3 and begin you on soft foods. About the TPN, that will take a bit longer, at least 2 weeks or more.   
“Pancreatitis takes at least 2-3 weeks to heal, and that is with the patient being very good and compliant. We can’t send you home until you are better. Do you understand?”  
Smiling, Chet said, “Yeah, I have to be a good boy for a while.”  
Dr. Early smiled and said, “Yes, Chet, in more ways than one. You need to concentrate on getting well, not only with the pancreatitis, but with the physical and occupational therapy.”  
“Oh, yeah, about that. When does that start?”  
Dr. Brackett fielded this question. “Well, my young friend, it has only been twenty-four hours since the TIA, so we need to build up your stamina and strength a bit first. The physical therapist will be visiting you twice a day, starting tomorrow, to begin some bedside therapy with you. Let’s see how that works, ok?”  
“Ok, but you know what. This may sound weird, but I think I can move my left arm.” And with that, he lifted his arm about an inch off the bed and kept it there for a few seconds before he tiredly allowed it to fall back down.  
Both Dr. Early and Dr. Brackett were very pleased and Dr. Early said, “That is great, Chet! I told you it would be temporary. Maybe your progress will be faster than any of us thought.”  
The doctors then examined Chet and were satisfied and left.  
After an hour, Chet’s brother, Danny came by.  
“Hi, mom. Hey, Chet, how are you doing, huh?”  
“Better, DK. How are you? Off, today? You just missed your future   
Father-in-law.”  
Nodding affirmatively, Danny sat down.  
Not knowing his brother didn’t remember the bank incident, Danny said, “Hey, did Gage and DeSoto tell you?”  
“Tell me what? I haven’t seen them in a while.”  
“Oh, well remember the lady who gave birth and then died?” Seeing Chet shake his head, he continued, not catching on, “Sure you do. She was Japanese and DeSoto’s sister-in-law stayed with her and took care of the little girl. Don’t you remember?”  
“NO I DON’T, Danny!! I don’t remember anything about that damn day, don’t YOU understand?”  
Shocked, Danny stared at his brother. “WHAT? Oh, man, Chet, I am sorry. I never realized. MAN, I’m really sorry.”  
Realizing he had upset his younger brother, Chet said, “Hey, don’t sweat it, DK. How could you have known? So, what happened?”  
Relaxing, Danny continued, saying, “Well, it seems that Mr. Inoue contacted headquarters and put in glowing praise for the three firemen that helped bring his daughter, Midori, into the world safely and eased his wife’s leaving it. He has asked for the department to give some form of commendation to you, Gage and DeSoto mentioning his gratitude to you.”  
“But, why me? I did nothing. From what I understand, I was stuck being a dog the whole time.”  
“Yeah, but you gotta remember, Mr. Inoue doesn’t know that.  
“Plus Mr. and Mrs. Pointer are recommending commendations for you three.”  
“Pointer? Who were they?”  
“Well, actually just Mr. Pointer. He was the father of the young girl that that crazy woman killed in the beginning. He saw how that lady treated you just before he got out of the bank because he refused to leave his daughter until she threatened to kill him, too.   
“As a matter of fact, he said you gave him your condolences as he passed you under the desk.  
“You really can’t remember any of this stuff, Chet?”  
Chet pondered deeply what Danny had just related and remembered bits and pieces of the incidents mentioned.  
“I, I remember a little bit. I remember hearing a baby cry. I also remember being very upset by seeing that young kid and knowing she was shot for no reason other than she was there.”  
Suddenly Chet tensed up and Mrs. Kelly ran over to him, saying, “What is it, Chet? Are you in pain?”  
“No, mom, it’s not that. I think I remember. That crazy lady treated me like a dog and made me eat dog food and killed that kid for no reason, right?”  
Hugging her son, Mrs. Kelly replied, tearfully, “Yes, dear, she did. Are you ok remembering this or do you want something to relax you?”  
“No, mom, I don’t. I think it is important I remember. Did I also do some weird stuff, like bark and act like a dog?”  
Danny nodded and said, “Yeah, Chet, you did. But you seem ok now, thank God. You don’t feel like that any more, do you?”  
Shaking his head negatively, he smiled at his mom and brother, saying, “Nope, not at all. I remember being mad at Roy for some dumb reason. I mean, I know it was not his fault, he knew he had to prevent her hurting any of us. He even told me that if I didn’t act like a dog, she might resort to shooting me. Believe me, that was not my favorite way to go.”   
Danny replied, saying, “Yeah, you were angry with Roy. In fact, that is why hasn’t visited you recently. Would you like see him?”  
“Definitely.”  
“Ok, I’ll let him know.”  
Meanwhile at the station, 51A shift was just returning from a small structure fire where there were no injuries. The squad pulled in right before the engine.  
As Roy and John alighted from the squad, Johnny said, “Hey, Roy?”  
“Yeah, junior?”  
“Tomorrow afternoon, I’m gonna visit Chet. How about you coming along?”  
Roy just looked at John and didn’t say anything, but began to walk slowly toward the kitchen.  
John followed his best friend and said, “Come on! You know Dr. Brackett told us he does not remember reacting like he did cause of the TIA, which we’ve explained to the guys.  
“I bet he doesn’t even remember being angry with you.”  
“I..I don’t know, John, it feels kind of funny. I mean, he didn’t mean any of it, but I also know why he did it. And he has every right to be angry with me!  
“I know I’d be angry with me if I were him!”  
Captain Stanley walked in on the tale end of this conversation and said, “Roy, John, speaking of Chet. I just called Rampart to see how he is and was told by Dixie that he is definitely improving. And as John said, Roy, he doesn’t remember reacting like he did. And he told his brother he wants to see you, Roy.”  
“Really, cap?”  
“Yes, really. Johnny, how about all 5 of us going tomorrow afternoon to visit Chet? We can ask the probie if he wants to come.”  
Just as he said that, Gareth, Marco and Mike walked into the kitchen, with Marco getting a cup of coffee, while Gareth started petting Henry and Mike grabbed an apple.  
Gareth asked, “Maybe I’ll want to go where, Captain Stanley?”  
“Well, Wagner, as you know, you are subbing for Chet Kelly who was injured while on duty.  
“We were just discussing about going to visit him tomorrow afternoon. Mike, Marco?”  
Mike and Marco both nodded in agreement.  
Gareth thought about this a bit and realized that the Captain was trying to help him fit in. “Yes, Cap. I think I would like that, but only if it is ok with everyone else.”  
John and Roy both nodded and smiled at him while Mike said, “Of course, we want you to come, right, Marco?”  
Marco smiled and clasped the boot on the shoulder, saying, “Of   
course, you are a member of station 51A shift now, even if temporarily.”  
Gareth smiled at his co-workers and realized they no longer were just co-workers but brothers in arms.  
And so all were in agreement. They decided to meet at the station at 2pm and go over to Rampart in Johnny’s Land Rover and then get a bite to eat.  
The rest of the shift wasn’t too busy and A shift went home to rest, all anticipating meeting up later.  
And so by 2:15pm the whole of station 51A shift was arriving at Rampart to visit Chet.   
Roy was a bit nervous about this and was glad not to be alone, for he wasn’t really sure how Chet would really react to him. He still felt as though Chet had every right to be angry and hostile toward him, even though everyone, including Joanne and Dr. Brackett, disagreed.  
Finally arriving with each carrying a red balloon, supplied by Johnny, they arrived at Chet’s room.   
Captain Stanley had assured them that he had received prior permission from Dr. Brackett, they all entered as one.  
Chet was just waking up from a nap and was shocked when he saw all of Station 51A shift come in, but also very pleased, especially when he saw Roy.  
“Hey, guys! WOW! How did you all sneak up?”  
Laughing, Captain Stanley smiled and said, “Don’t you worry, Kelly. Doc. Brackett gave his ok. How are you feeling? You look pretty good.”  
Using the side rails to get himself to a semi sitting position, Chet answered, “I’m doing better, now. Just finished a therapy session, so was a bit tired. They say I’m doing ok, but I still have a lot of weakness in my left arm and leg but at least I can move them now.” And he demonstrated this fact to them.  
Gareth then stepped forward and introduced himself and Chet found himself instantly liking him.  
Meanwhile, in Boardroom number three, Dr. Brackett was discussing case number 12065, otherwise known as Chet Kelly. This was the bi-weekly medical board meeting of the chiefs of staff and any other doctors, where they discussed current and past interesting and puzzling cases, both alive and deceased. At this time, Dr. Early was there, too.  
As he concluded, Dr. Brackett said, “There you have it, Doctors. I understand recovery from a transient ischemic attack can be fast, but in my opinion, this is a bit faster than normal. Dr. Schuster, you are a psychiatrist. Is there such a thing as a psychosomatic TIA or stroke?”  
Dr. Schuster thought for a moment before speaking. “Yes, Kel.” He replied, “I do believe there probably is. With the way the mind is, I don’t see why not. And with all that patient 12065 went through, I am surprised he only had a transient ischemic attack. He was a very lucky young man.   
“I assume you will want him visited by my department in that not too distant future?”  
Dr. Brackett nodded affirmatively at this and said, “Definitely and I also would ask you or your department to consider counselling any other members of Station 51A shift if they desire it, especially the paramedics.”  
“Yes, of course, no problem. In fact, to keep continuity of care, I will see Mr. Kelly and any other members myself. OK?”  
Smiling at his colleague and friend, Kel sat down and thanked all for listening to him and prepared to listen to the other cases. He always enjoyed these board meetings, it not only gave him a chance for help but also enabled him to give feedback and learn some new things. That was he especially loved about the medical field, one is always able to learn new things.  
Meanwhile, the party, for that is what the visit turned into, was getting a bit loud and raucous, but none of the firemen seemed to mind.  
After about 45 minutes, a nurse knocked on the door and said, sternly, but with a smile on her face, “Hey, guys, please lower the tone. I know you are happy to be feeling better, Chet, but WE DO HAVE SICK PEOPLE HERE.” And she closed the door.  
The men all got quiet and contrite, until they heard her burst out in laughter as soon as the door was closed. But they were more subdued in their merrymaking.   
“Man, Chet you are lucky not to have a roommate.”  
Looking over at the empty bed, Chet said, laughing, “Yeah, well, Gage, I think they are keeping that bed warm for you, pal!”  
“Ha, Ha, so funny I forgot to laugh, Kelly.” While everyone else just smiled in happiness seeing the familiar banter again between the phantom and his pigeon.  
Suddenly Roy spoke up, saying, “Chet, are you really ok with me being here?”  
“Yeah, of course, Roy, why not?  
“Oh, you mean because of the bank. Well, as you know, my memory of that is very fuzzy, but from what I recall and have been told, you had no choice, my friend. And Jim Reed even said what you did just may have saved my life, so instead of being angry with you, I am extremely grateful to you. I am very sorry I did react the way I did. I don’t remember, but was told I couldn’t say your name for a while.”  
Suddenly Chet shut up and put his hand to his mouth and his eyes bulged. All thought he was going to be sick.  
Roy ran over to him, saying, “Chet, you ok? You need a bucket or the nurse?”  
Shaking his head negatively, Chet said, “NO. I just remembered-did I actually bite and attack you?”  
Hemming and hawing, Roy didn’t know how to respond, but Captain Stanley said, “Chet, that was when you were still confused and not yourself. Roy, here, knows you didn’t mean it, right Roy?” And he looked over at Roy, who had turned away from the crowd, with Johnny by him. Captain Stanley could tell Roy was crying.  
Walking over to them, he said, “Roy? What is it?”  
“He still feels very guilty, Cap. He just told me that he deserved what Chet did to him and more. He says he should be the one in the hospital bed, not Chet.”  
Hearing this, Chet said loudly, “Oh, come on, man. Don’t be so silly. You act like you did that on purpose and enjoyed it. Did you?”  
Getting no reaction made Chet wonder, and he yelled, “WELL, DID YOU?”  
This outburst moved something in Roy and he turned around and said with vehemence, “HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT, CHET? DON’T YOU REALIZE I DID IT ONLY TO SAVE YOU AND……..” then he sheepishly looked around and realized Chet had helped him overcome his guilt.  
“Of course, I do, man. Roy, you could NEVER do anything to hurt anyone and I know it. Thank you and I mean it. I have been wanting to say that ever since we were rescued. And thank you, too, Johnny and that is Chet Kelly talking, not the phantom.”  
Marco smiled and said, “Ok, let’s get back to the party!” and all laughed and the rest of the visit went great.  
The rest of the week went uneventfully for Chet and the New Year of 1974 started off quietly for the recuperating fireman. Chet was still hooked up to the IV and TPN, but no longer had the foley catheter nor the G tube. He was getting a soft meal and the doctors were pleased to see that he was eating at least 45% of each meal and tolerating it well.  
He was scheduled for another CAT scan on January 3 and was hoping to hear good news. He knew he was feeling much stronger and really improving in physical therapy.  
The only thing Chet was really concerned about was what had happened at the bank. He knew he didn’t really remember it now, but was very nervous about what would happen when he did. He was also afraid that when he did, he would be so traumatized again he would really go crazy. He knew he would be seeing a psychiatrist but had no idea when.  
At 10am on January 3, Chet had the CAT scan and waited anxiously for Dr. Early to come in and tell him the results.   
At 11:30am, his mom and Denny arrived and asked. When told there was no news yet, Denny said, “Well, Chet, hopefully that means good news. You know what they say, no news is good news.”  
Chet smiled half-heartedly and said, “Yeah, I know, but I’m really nervous. I really want to get out of here.”  
As they were talking, Chet’s lunch arrived and just as Chet was starting to eat, Drs. Early and Brackett walked in, both smiling broadly.  
“Well, Chet, we have some really wonderful news for you, my friend.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Yup, Chet.” Dr. Early continued, “It seems as though you and Johnny Gage must both have nine lives. Your pancreatitis is almost completely cured and we are going to be starting you on a regular diet with dinner tonite and that bag of TPN you had last night was your last one. I do think we will keep the IV a bit longer. As soon as I see you are tolerating a regular diet for 2-3 days, I will remove the IV. Ok? How does that sound?”  
“It sounds like I am starting 1974 off right!!” He smiled broadly at the doctors and his family.  
Mrs. Kelly wiped her eyes, hugged Chet, and then hugged both the doctors, saying, “Oh, thank you so much. Now I know my Chettie will be ok.”  
Dr. Brackett smiled and nodded his head. “One thing, though Chet, and I think you probably know this already…but I really do think you should talk to a psychiatrist about what happened to you at the bank. What do you say?”  
Chet nodded and said, “As a matter of fact, Doc, I was just thinking about that this morning before mom and Den arrived and I agree. I’m just so scared that when I do remember it, I will totally break down and go nuts. I’m really scared, especially since I really don’t remember too much about what happened to me, although I do remember seeing that dead young girl and the lady with the newborn who died and John being pushed around by that crazy girl, and I know it had something to do with me, but I have no idea. I’m really scared.” And Chet finally stopped and took a breath and all in the room saw how shaky and scared he really was.  
“Well, Chet, which is why I have asked Dr. Otto Schuster, a very well respected psychiatrist, to see you. He specializes in helping people deal with posttraumatic stress disorder. Have you ever heard of it?”  
”Yes, I have. I remember when I came home from Nam, our colonel had a psychiatrist come and talk to us about it. But, knock on wood; I seem to have been ok.”  
“Ok, basically that is what you are dealing with. Many people block out the trauma, can’t remember it, and are scared to, which I must say, I can whole-heartedly agree with.  
“Would it be ok if I have Dr. Schuster see you tomorrow?”  
At first, Chet was going to say no, but then he realized the longer he procrastinated, the worse it would probably get. “Yeah, I guess.”  
“Ok, let me go contact him and I will be right back to let you know when he can see you. Would you prefer to go to his office here in Rampart or for him to come here?”  
“Here, if he doesn’t mind, ok?”  
“Sure. I’ll be back soon.” And Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early both left, with Dr. Early returning to ER while Dr. Brackett went to the nurse’s station and wrote the order and consultation prescription, and then called Dr. Schuster.  
“Otto? Hi, it’s Kelly. Remember that fireman I mentioned in the weekly meeting?”  
“Yes, is he willing to talk to me?”  
“Yes, he is, but he would prefer to do so in his room if you don’t mind.”  
“Um, no problem. How about tomorrow around 10:30am?”  
“Fine, Otto, and thanks in advance. Call me after you speak with him or drop down by ER and we can go in my office. Bye” and he hung up.  
Going back to Chet’s room, he saw that Roy and John were there, too.   
“Hi, guys. Brought somebody in, huh?”  
“Hi, Doc, yeah. And you’ll never believe who.”  
“Yeah, wait till you hear this one, Doc. You are gonna freak!  
“Harry Morgan!”  
“Oh, come on! You are joking right?”  
“No, really, doc, Joe is examining him as we speak. Seems he was riding his horse and he hit his head on a low branch.”  
“Wow, I love him. He is a great actor!” Chet excitedly said, and everyone agreed with him.  
Johnny said, “And you know, he is a really nice guy, too. He gave us his autograph without us even saying anything. In fact, he asked how many we wanted and we,”  
“WE, Junior?”  
“Uh, yeah, well, me-I was brave enough to ask for six for all of us. Here is yours, Chet.”  
Chet grabbed it and laughed when he read the paper-“To Chet Kelly, aka the phantom, thanks for all you do for LA Harry Morgan.”  
“WOW” Chet said.  
“Is he ok?”  
“Yeah, Chet, we think he just bruised his ribs and has a minor concussion.”  
“Thank God.”  
“Yeah,”  
“Well, Chet I spoke with Dr. Schuster. He agreed to see you tomorrow at 10:30am, OK?”  
“Sure, Doc. Thanks.”  
Suddenly Roy’s handi-talki sounded, “Squad 51, are you available?”  
“Squad 51, available from Rampart. 10-4”  
“Respond to unknown injury at 345 Pomona Ave, cross street Adker.”  
“10-4 unknown type injury 345 Pomona Ave, cross street Adker, 10-4”  
Signing off and running, the paramedics waved and said, “Bye all, talk to you later Doc. Catch you later, Chet.”  
The next day, Chet awoke feeling anxious about his impending psychiatric visit. When the nurse came in to take his vital signs, he asked her if she knew Dr. Schuster and was told that he was a good doctor and very easy to talk to. “As a matter of fact, Chet, Dr. Schuster is the staff psychiatrist for the hospital. You know the one that we, the staff, can go to for problems. And believe me, he is a good guy to talk to.”  
Hearing this helped to relieve some of Chet’s worries. After all, if the staff members liked and trusted him, then he must be pretty good.  
Around 11am, Dr. Schuster arrived at the nurses’ station and read over all of Chet’s chart to get to know him a bit. He saw that he had a great and weird sense of humor, loved his job, thought of his coworkers as family, was very close to his own family and very proud of his Irish ancestry. He was usually healthy.  
According to the chart, before this incident, the fire department psychologist felt that Chet was very stable and used humor to deal with the hard feelings being a fireman could bring. He was usually able to deal with bad calls with humor and if needed, did talk about it with his shift mates. He did sometimes pick one or two to speak with and these were usually his Captain, Marco Lopez (his hose partner) or John Gage (junior paramedic of 51s). (John Gage is the ‘pigeon’ for Chet’s jokester-The Phantom.)  
At 11:15, Dr. Schuster knocked on Chet’s door, entered, and introduced himself.  
“Um, hi doc, I don’t really know how to start or what to say.”  
“Well, Chet, here is how I usually handle the first session. I ask some preliminary questions and work from there. Would you mind if we did that?”  
“Sure, if that is how you always do it. But don’t get mad if I can’t answer some, especially having to do with, (with a noticeable shudder) that day.”  
Dr. Schuster noticed the reaction and the quiver in his voice as he said that.  
“No problem, I understand.  
“Now let’s get started, ok?”  
Chet nodded in ascent.  
“Ok, now the first few questions are very simple:  
“1. What is your full name, including middle?”  
“Chester Bedivere Kelly”  
“Bedivere? From the Arthurian tales?”  
Laughing, Chet answered, “Yup, which is why nobody at the station, except Cap, knows it. My mom loves King Arthur. My brother, Denny. His middle name is Arthur and my sister’s name is Miriam.”  
“Interesting. I like that stuff, too, but never thought of naming my kids after it. Your mom seems like an interesting person.”  
“Oh, believe me, she is, she is. She’s the best.”  
“Now my next question:  
“2. What kind of work do you do?”  
“I am a fireman with the Los Angeles County Fire Department out of Carson Station 51 A shift. My job is as a hose man for the engine along with Marco Lopez, my partner and a great friend.”  
“Ok, 3. What religion are you? Are you active in it?”  
“Catholic and yes, I am. Believe me; having a mom like mine, you would be too. But I don’t mind as I like it.”  
“Great, 4. What is your highest education level?”  
“I graduated with a BS in fire fighting from UCLA.”  
“Ah, 5. Have you ever had any kind of psychiatric illness or hospitalization before this?”  
“No, unless you count the department’s psychologist and the Army’s psychological exam when I came home from Nam.”  
“No, but what happened with the exam when you came home?”  
“Well, I don’t know if you know this, but I was a medic for the Army in Viet Nam and got wounded trying to help a grunt who had gotten shot by a sniper. I was hit by the same sniper and medevacced to a M*A*S*H unit who decided to ship me home.  
“When I arrived at the Army hospital in Hawaii, I saw the department shrink, oh, sorry, psychiatrist and had an exam. He declared me to be ok and that was it.”  
“Ok, that doesn’t count, but it is good to know that you don’t mind speaking to us ‘shrinks’.” And he smiled at Chet, who smiled sheepishly back.  
“Don’t worry, Chet, I wasn’t taking offense.”  
“Ok.” Chet relaxed.  
“Now, back to the questions. 6. Do you have any other health problems, such as diabetes, hypertension?”  
“Well, I do have occasional dry skin. Also some indigestion once in a while.”  
“7. Are you on medication for any of these?”  
“No, I’m not. I take Tums when I need it and use moisturizing cream when I have to.”  
“Ok, 8. Have you, or are you currently, taking any illegal drugs or do you abuse alcohol? By that I mean, do you have a drinking problem?”  
“No, not in my line of work, plus I think it’s stupid. I mean I like beer and sometimes a mixed drink, but not to excess or everyday.”  
“Great, I figured that, but as I said, these are the standard questions and we are almost done.  
“9. Are you satisfied with your life at this time?”  
Chet thought about this for a moment, and other than the recent stuff, he had to think so, so he answered: “Yes, I would say I am.”  
“10. Are you in good spirits most of the time?”  
“Definitely, yes.”  
“11. Are you afraid that something bad is going again happen to you?”  
Chet was surprised at this question and thought about it, not really knowing the answer, especially in his line of work. “Well, doc, I’m just not sure, especially with what I do, but if you mean like before, I pray not, but one can never tell.”  
“Good answer and very sound thinking on your part. K, and that is all the questions I have, at least for now. And I see I’ve been here over an hour. My usual session is an hour or 90 minutes. Which would you prefer or we can play it by ear?”  
“Yeah, let’s see how it goes, there may be times I may even need more than 90, would that be ok?”  
“Well, we’ll see, ok?”  
“Ok, doc. So far, I think I will be really comfortable with you. Thanks for agreeing to help me. You seem like you have a lot of patience.”  
“Thanks, Chet. Is there anything you want to discuss or do you want to end today’s session here?”  
“Well, how often are we gonna meet?’  
“Good question and I knew I forgot something. I was thinking of twice a week. How does that sound to you?”  
“Great. What days and times?”  
“Well, I spoke with Dr. Brackett and he says it is up to us, so how about Tuesday and Friday at 2pm? How does that sound to you?”  
Chet nodded in agreement and said, “That sounds fine to me, Dr. Schuster. And I really do think we could end our session now if you want. I really don’t feel like discussing anything right now.” He sounded a bit down, so Dr. Schuster asked, “Chet, you ok? Suddenly you sound a bit depressed. Something come up in our questioning?”  
“No, not really, just realizing that I really do have a problem and it kind of surprised me to admit it to myself. But I promise I’ll be ok.”  
“Ok, well, just in case you need it, I will order something to help you relax if you need it. It is called Risperdal and is very mild. Ok?”  
“Sure and thanks. See you Tuesday at 2.”’  
“Ok, Chet, till then.” In addition, Dr. Schuster left and wrote the order in his chart and then went in search of Dr. Brackett, knowing he would be glad to hear that Chet was willing to have these sessions.  
Chet’s recovery was going well and his sessions seemed to be helping him, although he still had not discussed the bank incident.   
He was discharged from the hospital January 18th and stayed with his mom as he was still recovering and had not been cleared to return to work yet. He was told he would not receive clearance until Dr. Schuster had done so and although not happy, Chet knew he was not really ready to return, at least not psychologically. He had already informed Dr. Schuster that although he knew he could do the work, he was still concerned he would flashback while at a fire and cause harm to his co-workers unintentionally.  
Suddenly during their February 22 meeting, Chet became very anxious and clammed up.   
“What is the matter, Chet?” Dr. Schuster said.  
“I I Don’t know. All of a sudden, I’m very frightened. What were we talking about, I really can’t remember.”  
“Well, Chet, we were beginning to discuss that Christmas Eve. You had even brought the subject up when you came in. Don’t you remember? You asked me if we could talk about the incident because you had remembered something and I agreed. Do you feel ready to talk about it?”  
Chet, looking even more frightened, didn’t know what to think because he truly did not remember that conversation at all.  
Finally, he said, “Doc, am I going crazy? I don’t remember any of that.” And he truly was scared.  
“No, Chet, you are NOT going crazy. You are just very scared of remembering such a traumatic incident. That is one of the main reactions of one suffering from Post Traumatic Syndrome like you. It sounds like last night you may have had a flashback. Did you dream about it, do you think?”  
“I really don’t know. Maybe, I do know I woke up feeling like I had run a marathon.”  
“OK, sounds like you did. There is a method I sometimes employ that I think you would benefit from, that is if you are willing. It is hypnosis.”  
“Hypnosis? You are kidding, right? That’s nothing but a parlor trick, come on.”  
“No, Chet, not the way I do it. There are medicinal uses for it and it is very safe.   
You would not be forced to do any of those silly acts magicians and others do, but you would remember what happened as if it were really happening. But I would guide you and remind you that are here in the office and safe. I would also tape it and then replay it back for you when you are ready, either right away or whenever you say. Also, if you become too caught up in the memory  
or too upset, I would bring you out of the hypnosis immediately.   
“As it has been an hour, I think we should end here and you can go home and think about it. Unless you want to talk for thirty more minutes. Take as long as you need to think about what I just suggested and let me know whenever you are ready. I won’t be angry with you if you decide against it, so do not worry about that. We can always figure out other ways to help you deal with it. Ok?”  
Chet thought about all he had just heard and decided he wanted to get out of the office and think, so he told Dr. Schuster, “Ok, if you don’t mind, I really want to get out of here. I need some fresh air and to think. The hypnosis does sound like it may be helpful, but as you said it is very scary, too. I will see if I can give you my decision on Friday when I come back, ok?”  
Dr. Schuster agreed and Chet left and decided to drive to the beach where he could relax by washing the waves of the ocean and think a bit.  
As Chet sat and watched the ocean, he thought about what Dr. Schuster said.  
“Hypnosis? Maybe that may be good idea, at least this might get over with.”  
After a while, Chet got up, drove home, and discussed it with his family. Most thought it might be a good idea and helpful, but his mom was a bit worried about how it would affect him. Chet told his mom he was scared too, but thought that maybe this might just put closure on the event, too.  
On Friday, when Chet met with Dr. Schuster, he told him. Before starting, Dr. Schuster told his secretary to cancel the next 2 appointments, as he was expecting a rather long session with Chet.  
They talked a bit and then Dr. Schuster began the hypnosis, telling Chet to relax.  
After about 15 minutes, Chet was completely under and Dr. Schuster started him discussing the beginning of the shift, and then led up to the incident.  
Chet was calm until the time when Emily made him go outside and then he became agitated, but calmed when the psychiatrist assured him he was safe.  
He continued to be ok until the dog food and then he became very agitated, so much so that Dr. Schuster bought him out.  
“Are you ok, Chet? Do you remember what we were discussing?”  
Shaking a bit, Chet nodded, but didn’t say anything.  
“Chet, tell me what you are feeling right now.”  
Chet thought about his feelings and then said, “Well, I don’t know, I know it is over but I feel scared and like it just happened a minute ago. I’m afraid to go outside because, even though I know she isn’t, I’m afraid Emily is out there.” And he stared at his hands.  
Dr. Schuster said, “Well, I know this is hard on you, but you are right, Emily can never hurt you again. If you want, we can continue at another time.”  
“NO, I want to get this over with today. This way maybe I can start getting myself together and get back to work.”  
“Ok, let me put you back under.”  
When Chet was under again, Dr. Schuster started from the time he ate the dog food and drank the water. Chet was able to deal with this calmer and continued on until he passed out by Roy and John.  
Next, he was able to discuss about his hospitalization and the barking, then he hesitated.  
“Chet, is there something else?”  
“No, I don’t think so, except for the stroke. But that had nothing to do with Ellen.”  
“Ok, I am going to bring you back now.”  
Once Chet was awake, Dr. Schuster asked him how he felt.  
“I feel ok, as a matter of fact, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulder.”  
“That’s good, Chet. Very good, indeed. That means you may be able to deal with this better than you expected.   
“When do you want to listen to the tape?”  
“Um, could we do it now? Maybe if I get it over with, I can deal with it faster and return to work.”  
“Ok, if you are sure. But if it gets to be too much, just let me know and I will stop it.”  
And so Dr. Schuster rewound the tape and they both listened.  
Dr. Schuster watched Chet very carefully for his reactions, which seemed to be normal at this time.   
After hearing the part about going outside, the doctor stopped it and said, “So, Chet, tell me what you are feeling right now? I can see you are upset.”  
Chet stared at the wall and said, “I don’t know. I feel anger and shame. I mean, I should have stood up to her, know what I mean. I feel very humiliated.”  
“Well, Chet, although those are normal feelings, but I can tell you right now you have nothing to be ashamed of. The anger is definitely justified. None of your co-workers or anyone else thinks any less of you. And if you had stood up to her, she may have shot you or your co-workers or an innocent.”  
“Yeah, I know you are right, but…I can’t help how I feel.”  
“No, you can’t and I really do think we should end here and you should go home and get some rest. We can listen to the rest of the tape at our next session.”  
Chet agreed and left.  
At the next session, after discussing how Chet did post session, Dr. Schuster started the tape and Chet listened quietly to the rest.  
“Ok, Chet, now how do you feel having heard the whole thing?”  
“Well, like before I feel anger, humiliation and fear. I know you said the humiliation is not real, but I can’t help how I feel.”  
“Yes, I know. Humiliation would be a natural feeling, though, especially in your profession and you being a man. But you have to understand, and I think in your heart, you do, that only you feel this way, no one is laughing at you or mocking you in any way. Anger, as I said before, is justified. I would be worried about you if you weren’t angry. Fear, well, that is normal, too. The fear-is it of the future or of what happened?”  
“The future. I’m afraid I’ll have a flashback while at a fire and freeze up or something that can cause injury or death to a co-worker.”  
“That’s a natural fear and one I bet you, and every other fireman, has but just don’t realize it. I doubt if it will happen, especially since you are so aware of it, but I also think, if it does happen, you would have the presence of mind to recognize it when it does occur.”  
“Yeah, I hope you are right, doc.”  
“Well, Chet, personally I think I am. In fact, I am so sure; I would be willing to allow you to return to work, that is, if you feel you are ready.”  
Chet looked stunned at this, he KNEW he was ready and told the doctor so.  
The doctor wrote the note, which Chet took right to headquarters and was told he could return to work next shift.  
Returning to work felt strange, but wonderful. The guys all made him feel like he was back home and that nothing ever changed. They were all very supportive of him.  
And Chet performed his usual exemplary way at the next fire and the rest of the shift. He had overcome his demons and knew it was thanks to his co-workers and brothers of Station 51s A shift.

THE END


End file.
